Though providing care for an older loved one can be rewarding, it may also be stressful, tiring, and overwhelming. Family caregivers often are puzzled to find that wanting to be there for a frail older loved one doesn’t exempt them from having difficult feelings and being challenged by their responsibilities. But caregiving—walking with a loved one through illness, disability, and end of life—is uniquely hard work, and even those who enter it voluntarily are tested by the challenges it presents. Family caregivers can learn to face these challenges in the most positive way possible in Powerful Tools for Caregivers, a training course offered by Boulder County Area Agency on Aging that helps them “thrive, not just survive” caregiving.
Powerful Tools for Caregivers has been proven to help family caregivers reduce their stress, enhance their self-care, and, in general, feel better about their caregiving. The course covers many topics: taking care of you; identifying and reducing personal stress; communicating needs, feelings, and concerns; communicating in challenging situations; mastering caregiving decisions; and more. Through the course caregivers learn that they’re not alone and that many of feelings they have are shared by others—in other words, it normalizes their caregiving experience.
The next session of Powerful Tools for Caregivers is on Tuesdays, February 28 – April 4, 1:30 – 4 p.m., in Boulder. It is open to Boulder County residents who provide local or long-distance care for a relative, partner, or friend who is 60 or over, or of any age if the person has dementia. There is no fee, though donations are appreciated. Pre-registration is required, at 303-678- 6116 or InfoCaregiver@ bouldercounty.org/. Financial assistance for respite care (substitute elder care during class periods) is available.
By joining with others in Powerful Tools, caregivers will find that they’re part of a big “club”—and we’re all in this together!
~ Emily Cooper is Information and Referral Specialist for Caregiver Programs with Boulder County Area Agency on Aging, a Division of Community Services. For more information on BCAAA caregiver services, call 303-678-6116 or email InfoCaregiver@bouldercounty.org/.