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International
Caregivers Meet
The
3rd International Conference on “Family Care, Empowerment through
Innovation,” hosted by the National Alliance for Caregiving, was
a great opportunity to share our caregiving experiences and concerns.
The conference opened with a vibrant exchange of international
perspectives on family caregiving, proving that caregiving concerns
know no international boundaries.
A panel of experts such as Warnick Bruen, Australia; Dr. Israel
Doron, Israel; Rick Greene, USA; Lennarth Johansson, Sweden; and
Diana Whitworth, England, were presenters of the symposiums. The
conference was divided into thematic areas, which included Alzheimer’s
disease, care at the end of life, caregiving by young people,
corporate eldercare, grandparents caring for grandchildren, and
respite care.
PSGDC offered a presentation facilitated by Gloria Chen and Michelle
Oxley and entitled, “A Comprehensive System of Family Caregiving
and Caregiver Empowerment.” It covered the developmental stages
of caregiving that impact on appropriate interventions and programmatic
design of a comprehensive system of caregiving. We explored the
importance of evaluating the caregivers’ capabilities, resources,
environment, support system and their own medical requirements
when devising the care plan. Additionally, we expressed the importance
of assisting caregivers of diverse ethnic backgrounds navigate
the maze of service in a culturally competent matter.
This conference was focused at looking across borders for the
best approaches to helping families provide the best care possible
for those in need. In the midst of a autumn weekend spent in the
Washington, DC, this conference served to help each of us keep
in mind the individuals that we serve, to remind us the importance
of the work we do to support caregivers, and draw attention to
the work that still needs to be done.
—Michelle
Oxley
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Off
to Kansas City
In
November, Prospect Park West Center staffers Jay McGowan and Josephine
Brown traveled to Kansas City for the Brookdale Foundation’s three-day
Orientation and Training Conference.
Workshops focused on skills training and education for those working
in respite programs with people with Alzheimer’s. While learning
techniques in art and exercise, they also found that networking
with representatives from programs around the country was extremely
interesting.
Jay
and Josephine reported that those from rural areas and small communities
seemed to have impressive community support, allowing programs
to run with few staff but more volunteers. Even the Mayor of one
small town is a regular volunteer. They also found that PSGDC
programs are known and well respected—and unique in that we are
open all day, six days a week.
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Alzheimer’s
Conference in Brooklyn
Gloria
and Evelyn staff the PSGDC table.
The
Annual Mayoral Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease, the largest
and most successful of its kind in the nation, offers caregivers
and professionals a place to meet and exchange ideas with experts
in caregiving, service provision, and research.
This year’s conference entitled, “A Toolkit for Caring,” was held
October 22, 2002, at the Marriott Hotel in Brooklyn. The conference
emphasized the need to provide caregivers and professionals alike
with the proper education, training, and tools necessary to navigate
care options and make use of the latest research.
Over 800 participants attended the full day conference and participated
in informational workshops and plenary sessions, browsed the exhibits,
and gathered the valuable tools needed for effective caregiving.
For the first time this year the NYC Department for the Aging
provided simultaneous translation into Spanish and Chinese for
several afternoon workshops. Sessions included topics such as
“Medical and Social Service Research,” “Alzheimer’s in the Gay
and Lesbian Community,” and “A Looming Crisis: How to Pay for
Long Term Care.”
Jeannette Takamura, PhD, Dean of Columbia University School of
Social Work gave the keynote address.
DFTA Commissioner Edwin Méndez-Santiago acknowledged the work
of caregivers, saying, “Although we continue to learn much about
this terrible disease, the overwhelming job of caregiving still
falls largely to the patient’s relatives.” He announced an important
new website, www.alzinfo.org,
sponsored by the Fisher Center for Alzheimers Research.
—Gloria
Chen
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