By Emily Cooper, Boulder County Area Agency on Aging
Thousands of Boulder County residents share time, energy and love with older relatives, partners and friends who need a little or a lot of support. Whether caring for a parent with dementia, a partner who’s had a stroke, an aging friend with a chronic illness or for any other elder loved one “family” caregivers contribute greatly to their care recipients and to their communities. It is for these caregivers, and for anyone else who’s interested in caregiving issues, that Boulder County Area Agency on Aging (BCAAA) sponsors the annual Caregiving Symposium, which will be held this year on Thursday, May 22, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., at the Plaza Convention Center, 1850 Industrial Circle (behind the Plaza Best Western Hotel), in Longmont.
The Caregiving Symposium, now in its ninth year, helps family caregivers learn about useful resources, including those of Boulder County Area Agency on Aging and City Senior Services, brings them information from local professionals on different aspects of caregiving, and gives them the opportunity to spend time with their fellow caregivers. The event features a large resource fair of local service providers, education handouts, lunch, and 12 one-hour workshops on key caregiving topics: mental health issues in later life, what caregivers need to know about Medicare, talking about and honoring elders’ end-of-life wishes, practical strategies for caregiver self-care, legal issues, successful communication with persons with dementia, moving from resistance and fear to grace in caregiving, choosing and coordinating in-home care providers, Latino caregiving, non-Alzheimer’s types of dementia, fall prevention, and geriatric care management.
Participants also will have the opportunity (at 10:15 a.m.) to participate in a focus group, providing input regarding the issues and needs of family caregivers for BCAAA’s upcoming four-year plan for services. General registration for the Caregiving Symposium is free, at 303-441-1685 or www.caregivingsymposium2014.eventbrite.com (see the full agenda there). Registration at the door will also be accepted, though pre-registration is encouraged. Caregivers are welcome to attend all or only part of the event. To make it easier for caregivers to enjoy the Symposium, free on-site respite care (elder care) is offered by reservation; call 303-441-1543 to learn more.
The Caregiving Symposium is co-sponsored this year by Aging Services Foundation of Boulder County, Meals on Wheels of Boulder, Balfour Senior Living, Boulder County Care Connect, and 50 Plus Marketplace News. Your support is appreciated!