Circles of Care

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

Kenneth Hepburn, who is now associate dean for research at Emory University’s school of nursing in Atlanta, developed the six-week training program while he was working at the University of Minnesota. It has two main objectives, he says: “First, we want to help people realize they have a goal for doing this kind of work, to make them feel comfortable with it; second, to make people aware that although they may mostly see the losses brought on by the disease, they should also see what is still available to the person, and to work with that.”

Each class, Hepburn explains, starts with a question, such as “How does Alzheimer’s affect thinking?” or “How does Alzheimer’s affect emotions?” The caregivers learn what to expect as the disease progresses, and they develop useful responses to cope with what can be unpredictable and even unpleasant behavior in their spouse or parent.

The Alzheimer’s Association—a national health organization dedicated to finding prevention methods, treatments, and an eventual cure for Alzheimer’s—recently has begun offering the Savvy Caregiver Program across the West. The first class that met in Palo Alto, California, enjoyed the program so much that the caregivers planned a six-month reunion to catch up and continue to support each other.

The San Francisco–based Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA), one of the nation’s oldest caregiving resource centers, offers many classes, some similar to the Savvy Caregiver Program, along with resources for dealing with more specific challenges, from negotiating financial arrangements with lawyers to handling a family member who isn’t pulling his or her weight. The FCA also offers online support groups and phone workshops, and maintains an extensive list of fact sheets on its website, www.caregiver.org.

“People need a safe place to express their ambivalence about caregiving,” says FCA program director Donna Schempp. “It’s OK to be angry, sad, and impatient. It’s OK to not be a perfect caregiver. It’s OK to get help.”

Excerpted from Greater Good (Fall 2007), published by the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley. Subscriptions: $20/yr. (4 issues) from Greater Good, 2425 Atherton St., #6070, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720; www.greatergoodmag.org.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print