• Planning and organizing a workshop for family caregivers and;
• launching an online store for caregivers

The workshop took place on August 15th with pretty good attendance.  The speakers were excellent.  The workshop was well received and there was an unexpected outcome: some of the participants suggested that I take the “show on the road.”  They asked me to offer the workshop to churches.  As flattered as I am that the participants thought enough of the workshop to ask that I offer it to their fellow church members, the request isn’t very practical.

The Problem

My expertise in this area lies in planning and organizing.  I am neither a gerontologist nor an expert on caregiving.  I have no expertise in any area of elder care and my understanding of Medicare and Medicaid is foggy at best.  This means that to take the workshop to different churches, I would need a team with expertise in those areas.  The gerontologist who spoke at my workshop is Carrie Springer.  She is a caregiver for her 55 year old brother who has disabilities and her parents who are both in the early stages of Alzheimer’s; and she is the marketing director for an assisted living facility.  Carrie is a nice lady, with a passion for caregiving, but she is not going to give up her weekends or evenings to follow me around to do workshops.  Also, I am a full time caregiver for my 82 year old god-sister.  I can’t devote that kind of time to an on-going project either.

The Solution

It’s simple enough for churches to host their own elder care workshops.  Do your research and find your speakers:  gerontologist, geriatric nurses, geriatricians, adult day care program directors, adult day care activity coordinators, elder care lawyers . .  More than likely there are people in your congregation who are using elder care services or who know someone who is.  Medicare plan providers such as WellCare, Humana, Advantage and others, can provide someone to explain medicare and medicaid benefits.  We used WellCare of Georgia and they were glad to offer their services.

The Importance

There are 54 million family caregivers in the United States.  Family caregivers are ordinary people like you and me who take care of our parents, family members or friends with little or no compensation.  Approximately 30 million of these caregivers take care of parents or elderly family members, many of whom have some form of dementia.  This number will only increase over the coming years because of medical advances and longer life spans.

Even though we know our family members are aging, when the time comes for us to take care of them, most of us are not prepared.  Some people handle it better than others, but we could all use a little training in the area of elder care.

Please visit my blog, A Caregivers Journal for a list of caregiver resources.  I hope you will begin to offer some form of elder care training for your congregation.

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Destiny World Church in Austell, Georgia is sponsoring a Town Hall meeting to discuss issues relating to jobs, homes, mortgages, investments, health care, future employment and opportunities. The prophet Hosea wrote that our people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. We believe this forum offers the community an opportunity to ask questions, learn from knowledgeable professionals, and, hopefully, lay the ground work for attendees to connect with additional information and resources that can help them survive, grow and prosper during these turbulent economic times.

The Economy, Jobs and the Power of Knowledge

U.S. businesses have lost 5.7 million (non farm) jobs since December 2007 and 3.9 million jobs in just the last 6 months.  Many of these (20^th century) jobs will disappear as we know them today. In addition, most people affected by these lay-offs, who may be undereducated, unskilled, or over qualified.  These people will need to retrain and retool for 21^st century type jobs that require greater education, high-tech skills, certificates of completing special training and an ability to manage information that solves complex problems or produces new knowledge for high-growth businesses and industries.

Speakers

Vivian Richardson, Regional Director, Department of Labor
Richard Goode, Mortgage Banker and Planner, Suntrust Corp.
Dr. Ciyata Coleman, Economist, Internal Revenue Service

Date, Time, Location

The Town Hall meeting will be held on Tuesday June 16, 2009 from 7:30 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. at Destiny World Church located at 7400 Factory Shoals Road in Austell, GA 30168. The meeting is open to the public.  Take your friends, family members and co-workers.

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Technology is fast becoming the latest driving force behind what is often called the “generation gap.” While Americans of every age have become quite comfortable with and dependent on technology, a new study by The Barna Group explores how technology

is shaping different experiences and expectations among generations.

Although all Americans – both young and old – benefit from technology, the generational divide brought on by digital tools is significant. The key findings of the research include the fact that each successive generation is adopting and using technology at a significantly greater pace than their predecessors. Yet, the study also shows the exponential reliance on digital tools among Americans under the age of 25.

Importance of Tech

Technology usage is not the only chasm between the young and old. Another gap is each of the generation’s perceptions about technology. Not surprisingly, younger adults are more likely to admit “gadget lust” than is true of older adults. For instance, among the youngest adult Americans – those ages 18 to 24, a group the Barna Group labels Mosaics – more than one-fifth (22%) said they consider owning the latest technology to be a very high priority in life, compared to only one out of every 11 adults over the age of 25 (9%).

Follow the link above for the full article.  It is well worth reading if you are trying to bridge the gap with your younger worshipers.

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Does your church have older members who don’t come to church anymore?  Are you aware of the status of your aging members?  Do you know how many of your members are family caregivers?  As our society continues to age the church must learn to better serve its population of aging members and caregivers.

Most churches have software to track their members.  The software includes information such as single or married; age of children; skills and talents; place employment; address and phone number; tithes and offerings.  If we could add a category for family caregiver, we could do a better job of tracking and checking up on our aging members and their caregivers.

The National Family Caregivers Association says:

More than 50 million people, provide care for a chronically ill, disabled or aged family member or friend during any given year
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Informal Caregiving: Compassion in Action. Washington, DC: 1998, and National Family Caregivers Association, Random Sample Survey of Family Caregivers, Summer 2000, Unpublished

The typical family caregiver is a 46-year-old woman caring for her widowed mother who does not live with her. She is married and employed. Approximately 60% of family caregivers are women.
Source: National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP, Caregiving in the U.S., 2004.

Depending on their situation, caregivers may face increasing financial challenges due to the needs of their aging family member.  They may suffer depression or burnout.  Many caregivers have lost their jobs because of time missed from work because of caregiving responsibilities.

Family caregivers are often under a lot of stress, especially if they take care of an aging family member with Alzheimer’s disease.  I read an article about a woman who received a Caregiver of the Year Award.  She was recognized for her untiring and unfailing dedication to caring for her mother.  The article said the woman was 57 but looked 70.  Stress had aged her tremendously.

One of the best gifts you can give a caregiver is time.  They would appreciate a just few hours of relief to do something for themselves or to do nothing at all.  For more information about caregiving for aging family members, visit A Caregiver’s Journal.

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