November is National Family Caregivers Month

A family caregiver is a person who provides any type of physical and/or emotional care for an ill or disabled loved one at home. Loved ones in need of care include those suffering from a physical or mental illness, disability, substance misuse, or other condition. In most cases, the primary caregiver is a spouse, partner, parent, or adult child and they can assume important responsibilities in addition to their own personal commitments.

In honor of November being National Family Caregiver Month, and to empower the tremendous commitment made by caregivers, the NEK Council on Aging is offering two important free classes of support for caregivers or professionals working with families.

Managing Stress – A Workshop for Family Caregivers in St. Johnsbury is a one evening workshop based upon the longer Powerful Tools for Caregivers class series provided by the Council. The workshop will focus on tools to help manage the daily stresses and challenges faced by caregivers. It will be held on Thursday, November 8th from 6-7:30 p.m. at NVRH’s Conference Room 127.

As people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias progress in their journey and their ability to speak is lost, families need new ways to connect. Effective Communication Strategies , an education program by the Alzheimer’s Association, explores how communication takes place when someone has Alzheimer’s. Learn to decode the verbal and behavioral messages delivered by someone with dementia and identify strategies to help connect and communicate at each stage of the disease.

“Communication is more than just talking and listening – it’s also about sending and receiving messages through attitude, tone of voice, facial expressions, and body language,” said Pam Smith, volunteer Community Educator at the NEK Council on Aging. Pre-register for either class by calling Pam Smith at (802) 751-0427 or email info@nekcouncil.org with “managing stress” or “caregivers” in the subject line.