Help is Available for Families Caring for A Veteran Loved One with Dementia

Posted: Feb 6, 2012 at 3:54 PM [Feb 6, 2012]

The Area Agency on Aging 1-B (AAA 1-B) and the Evangelical Homes of Michigan are partnering to offer an educational training program for families who are caring for a loved one who is a veteran and has a dementia related illness, such as Alzheimer’s disease, a closed head injury, or dementia due to stroke.  The Creating Confident Caregivers (CCC) training program has been proven to reduce caregiver stress by empowering caregivers with useful tools and information.

 

“Family caregivers are under a tremendous amount of stress, managing the care and safety of their loved one, dealing with their own feelings of sadness, loss, or disappointment, and taking on additional responsibilities, such as managing finances, housekeeping, and communicating with family,” said Tina Abbate Marzolf, Chief Executive Officer of the Area Agency on Aging 1-B.  “The Creating Confident Caregivers program is an opportunity for caregivers to take a step back from these demands, learn about the progressiveness of the disease of Dementia, how it impacts the person they care for, strategies to manage difficult behaviors, and how to ensure their own well-being.”  

 

This CCC training is held for three hours, once a week for five weeks and will take place at the Evangelical Homes of Michigan Memory Support Center at Brecon Village, located at 101 Brecon Drive, Saline, MI  48176.   On site respite care will also be available to participants free of charge.  All materials, flyers, and training books are provided by the AAA 1-B, and there is no cost for the caregiver to attend this training.  The class is limited to 12 participants.  Up to three members from one family can attend a training together.  Caregivers should plan to attend all five sessions to get the full benefit from the program. 

 

“The CCC program is unique because it is designed to address very specific challenges that caregivers of a person with dementia experience,” said CCC Trainer Cathy Backos, LPN, and Respite Care Manager at the Area Agency on Aging 1-B. “Caregivers should not view this as a support group, but as an opportunity to learn new information and strategies that will make their job easier and more fulfilling.”

 

This program is supported, in part, by the U.S. Administration on Aging through its Alzheimer’s Disease Support Services Program, the Michigan Office of Services to the Aging, and the Area Agency on Aging 1-B.

 

To register for this CCC training program, as well as on-site respite care, call the Area Agency on Aging 1-B at (800) 852-7795, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

 

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About the Area Agency on Aging 1-B

The Area Agency on Aging 1-B is a nonprofit agency responsible for services to more than 500,000 persons aged 60 and older residing in Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair and Washtenaw counties.  Through the provision of home care and community-based services, older adults and persons with disabilities are given options that can help maintain their health and independence in their homes and communities.