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One of my friends in another state has mentioned a class she is going to that helps family members caring for an elderly parent. She says it doesn't teach how to help their parent but it does teach how to survive the experience. What kind of topics do they cover and how can I find out about classes in my state?
Last Updated: February 09, 2011
In the last several years, classes for family caregivers have started up all over the United States. These classes may be sponsored by public and private human service agencies, hospitals and clinics, educational institutions such as Cooperative Extension, faith-based organizations, and many other entities. Caregiver education and training are designed to teach people how to address the challenges of caring for a parent, spouse, partner, sibling, or friend in need. Caregiver classes can cover one or more topics ranging from providing personal care to dealing with conflicts in the family, caregiving while working, preparing for the death of a loved one, and finding appropriate community resources for specific needs.
One of the most frequently offered kind of classes focuses on self-care for the caregiver. These types of classes are important because if caregivers don't care for themselves they may endanger their own mental, emotional, physical and financial health and become unable to provide help and quality care to the care receiver. Self-care classes provide group support, discussion and tips for dealing with stress, finding respite, planning ahead, and communication skills for dealing effectively with family members, health professionals, and paid caregivers. Classes can meet once or be several weeks long and more in-depth. The in-depth classes provide an opportunity to try out different coping strategies and build relationships with others in the caregiving situation for emotional support and help in problem-solving.
Two possible sources of information about caregiver classes in your area are your local council/department on aging or your county cooperative extension center. Not every county offers this kind of class, but professionals at most human service agencies that serve older adults are likely to know of caregiver classes in the community. If you are specifically interested in a course on self-care, ask about a course called "Powerful Tools for Caregiving" by e-mailing powerfultools@aol.com. Information about another course, "The Family Caregiving Program" is online at http://www.redcross.org/portal/site/en/menuitem.d229a5f06620c6052b1ecfbf43181aa0/?vgnextoid=58d2914124dbe110VgnVCM10000089f0870aRCRD&vgnextchannel=bf970c45f663b110VgnVCM10000089f0870aRCRD.
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