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Powerful Tools for Caregivers

"Taking Care of You: Powerful Tools for Caregivers" is a six-week class for family and friends caring for older adults who have stroke, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, or similar long-term conditions. The class teaches caregivers self-care techniques and tools to help reduce the feelings of stress, guilt, anger and depression that often accompany caregiving.

Start Date	July 8th 2008
End Date	August 12th 2008
Time	Tuesdays 9:30AM-11:30AM
Location	Clare Bridge Salem 1355 Boone Road SE Salem, Oregon 97306
Contact	To Register call Christian or Debra at 503-365-7500 by July 3, 2008. Class size is limited and registration is required.
Cost/Fee	Suggested donation of $25 to help defray cost of the book

Description	Click here for the list of current classes in other areas throughout the state This is an educational program designed to help unpaid family caregivers of older adults develop and practice self care “tools” to thrive as individuals while managing their caregiving responsibilities. You will benefit from this class whether you are helping a parent, spouse, friend, someone who lives at home, in a nursing facility, or across the country. Caregivers who have taken the six-week class report that they have used the tools to make positive changes to manage stress and emotions and to communicate more effectively with family and health care providers. They began to take steps to take better care of themselves, and had a decrease in their feelings of anger, guilt, frustration, and depression. “As I look back, I realize I was on the verge of depression. I take better care of myself by doing things for me. I’ve learned how to retain and balance my hobbies and the joys of living while taking excellent care of my husband,” said one caregiver. Caregivers also benefit from meeting other caregivers to encourage and support each other as they face the challenges of caregiving. Every participant will receive a free book to accompany the class content.

Class Description

Class 1: Taking Care of You
This class sets the stage for the entire course. It emphasizes that the focus is on you, the caregiver, not on the family member receiving care, and that during the series of classes caregivers will develop a box of self-care tools. The challenges of caregiving and significance of caregiver self-care are dramatized through a video. Beginning in this class, caregivers make a weekly action plan for self-care.

Class 2: Identifying and Reducing Personal Stress Four steps are presented for effective stress management. Tools to reduce stress are discussed. Participants learn how to change negative self-talk to positive self-talk. Beginning in this class, caregivers learn five relaxation activities that are easy to incorporate into their daily lives.

Class 3: Communicating Feelings, Needs, and Concerns Participants learn how to communicate their feelings, needs and concerns more effectively.

Class 4: Communicating in Challenging Situations Participants practice two communication tools which are helpful in difficult situations. They learn a four-step process for using an assertive style of communication. A segment highlights guidelines for communicating with a person who is memory-impaired.

Class 5: Learning From Our Emotions The overriding theme of this class is that we need to listen to the messages our emotions are sending us. The focus is on identifying constructive ways for dealing with difficult feelings--especially anger, guilt, and depression--and resources for professional help.

Class 6: Mastering Caregiving Decisions The focus of this session is on the internal emotional process caregivers go through when they experience a life change. Tools for dealing with changes and for making tough decisions are discussed. Also presented are seven "tools of optimism" which caregivers can incorporate into their lives

Class Leaders

Class Leaders in the State of Oregon are trained by staff from Legacy Caregiver Services. Please contact us if you would be interested in becoming a Class Leader or if your organization would be willing to sponsor a class. Call 503-413-7706 (Oregon) or 360-487-1188 (Washington).