**November is National CarePartner Appreciation Month!**
Every November the President of the United States proclaims November as National Family Caregivers Month (NFC Month). This is a nationally recognized time set aside every year to thank, support, educate and celebrate more than 50 million family caregivers across the country. The National Family Caregivers Association has declared that the theme of Family Caregivers Month is to "Speak Up!" The goals of this initiative include the following:
- Empowering family caregivers
- Building communities
- Speaking up authentically with the voice of experience
- Advocating for the well being of family caregivers and their loved ones
Please join us for an informal evening as we give thanks for the love of our family and friends, and gather in support of each other as care partners.
Location:
National MS Society - Gateway Area Chapter
1867 Lackland Hill Pkwy
St. Louis, MO 63146
Date: Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Time: 7-9 p.m.
Deadline: RSVP to Allison by November 13 at allison.harper@gatewaymssociety.org
CarePartners need solutions on how to deal with the affects MS has on daily life. The Chapter has found a way to assist with the CarePartners Family and Friends Support Group, which provides help to you and your partner in moving towards a world free of MS.
Group Information:
Location:
Gateway Area Chapter Office
1867 Lackland Hill Pkwy
St. Louis, MO 63146
Time:
6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
3rd Wednesday of each month
Leader:
Pam Weiss, Licensed Professional Counselor
The group will cover a series of topics important to caregivers. Call for location and information on meeting topics 1-800-344-4867.
CarePartners Family and Friends Support Group is perfect for anyone who provides care to someone with MS:
- Spouses
- Significant others
- Siblings
- Friends
- Parents
- Adult children
- Other caregivers
"For the last four years I have been attending the CarePartners support group. At these meetings, we can share with others who can relate to the daily help needed by their loved one with MS. We share thoughts, concerns, joys, fears and much more. The best part of the CarePartner get-together is setting aside an hour or two to be with these friends to discuss, laugh and vent. We also invite guest speakers to attend the meetings based on the group's interests. We would like for our group to grow. Please consider joining our group." - Joe Klipsch
Care for the Caregiver
Take Care of Yourself
- Focus on getting relaxing sleep rather than more sleep
- Don't ignore your own physical health
- Don't forget to reserve time to pursue your own interests, activities, and relationships.
- Keep your eating habits balanced- do not fall into a toast-and-tea habit.
- List priorities, decide what to leave undone, and think of ways to make the work easier.
Communicate
- Reach out to support groups, religious advisors, or mental health counselors to learn constructive communication techniques.
- Schedule a regular time for conversation.
- When you visit your own doctor, be sure to explain your caregiving responsibilities, not just your symptoms.
Ask for Help
- Keep a list of jobs that friends could do.
- Ask friends/relatives to stop by on a weekend for a few hours so the caregiver can run errands.
- Use respite care when needed.
Resources
- The National MS Society: for more information about care options such as home health services, adult day care, respite care services, caregiver support programs, and nursing homes or assisted living facilities.
- Also at the NMSS, check out the Communities of Support. This site provides information on Lotsa Helping Hands, a free web-based service that lets a family list househould tasks they need assistance with and allows volunteers to sign up to help. Also listed is CaringBridge, a free site that connects and updates communities of supporters on a person's ongoing health status and progress.
- The National Family Caregivers Association: Free member benefits include: a quarterly newsletter, a useful guide to resources, and a support hotline.
- The Well Spouse Association: Publishes a quarterly newsletter and provides networking/local support groups.
- Caring Today and Today's Caregiver: magazines that offer news, resources, and sometimes a much-needed laugh.
- Continuum: St. Louis company that is committed to meeting care needs at every stage of life. Its services include: private duty home care, nursing, retirement community programs, personal emergency medical response systems, bill paying and geriatric care management.
- St. Andrews Senior Services: offers retirement living options, lifestyle security, enhanced well-being and health, and independence to thousands of seniors. St. Andrews provides care management services, senior housing, at-home services, Elder Care Specialists and many more resources and programs to assist seniors.
- Jewish Family and Children Services: Provides families in our community with the resources they need to meet the challenges of everyday living. Services include therapy, care management and homemaker services, a food pantry, and much more.
- Lutheran Senior Services: Offers older adult lifestyle resources and options with Christian love and care. Services include resources about independent living, residential care/assisted living, skilled nursing care, affordable housing, in-home services, hospice care, and much more.
- Respite Care Services: Respite care services assist caregivers by taking over caregiver responsibilities for a short amount of time. If you need respite care, the National MS Society can guide you to find a licensed agency, like a long-term care facility, private duty care agency or hospital. In limited circumstances financial assistance may be available.
*Information gathered from "A Guide for Caregivers" by Tanya Radford. Published by the National MS Society in 2007; The Comfort of Home: Multiple Sclerosis Edition. CareTrust Publications LLC, Portland, OR. 2006. Pg. 156-157; and Momentum magazine: Winter 07-08.
DISCLAIMER: The National Multiple Sclerosis Society does not endorse products, services, or manufacturers. Programs appear above solely because they are considered valuable information and you may find them beneficial. The Chapter assumes no liability for these programs or the use or contents of any product or service mentioned. Additionally, it is important to note that any person registering for the program(s) listed above will be sharing their personal information with an organization outside of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.