Forwarded to us by Velma Harrison
Encouraging Family Caregivers to Speak Up
May 2010 E-Letter
to NFCA Online members and friends
This month, find information on:
Ten Things to Know About Health Reform: Pointing the Way to Better Care
- Share Your Caregiving Story While You Learn From Others
- Free Webinar Aims to Help Family Caregivers Feel Better
- Eating Chocolate May Lower Your Risk for Stroke
- Read All About It: Articles of Interest to Family Caregivers
- Participate in a Free Webinar on Incontinence
- Wanted: Caregivers of Veterans
- 2010 Rosalynn Carter Award/Scholarship Opportunities Announced
Ten Things to Know About Health Reform: Pointing the Way to Better Care
Families across the nation are wondering how health reform will help them and their loved ones. The Campaign for Better Care has created a new fact sheet that describes how health reform will improve care for older adults and family caregivers. Older adults with multiple chronic conditions, the heaviest users of our healthcare system, and their family caregivers will benefit in significant ways as the new law is implemented. Ten Things to Know About Health Reform: Pointing the Way to Better Care describes key elements of the new law and what the law means for caregiving families.
Share Your Caregiving Story While You Learn From Others
The NFCA "Caregiver Story Project" is an opportunity for family caregivers to share their caregiving journeys and to learn from and help one another. Speaking up by sharing your story is one of the best ways to reduce feelings of isolation and to relieve some of the emotions you may have inside. It's also a great way to help bring about the changes that are needed to make the lives of caregiving families easier. You can share your story and read about other family caregiving experiences by visiting the "Story Project" page of the NFCA Web site.
Free Webinar Aims to Help Family Caregivers Feel Better
Caregiving.com is celebrating spring with a weeklong series of events, including a free webinar entitled "Spring Me! I'm Tired of Feeling Like Crap" on Thursday, May 6, at 3 p.m. CT and 7 p.m. CT. To learn more and register for the webinar, visit Caregiving.com. Caregiving.com is also holding its annual Family Caregiver Survey. To participate, click here.
Eating Chocolate May Lower Your Risk for Stroke
Eating chocolate may lower your risk of having a stroke as well as your risk of death after suffering a stroke, according to an analysis of available research that was recently released by the American Academy of Neurology. The analysis was presented at the Academy's 62nd Annual Meeting in April.
Chocolate is rich in antioxidants called flavonoids, which may have a protective effect against stroke, but more research is needed. The Academy cited one study that found that 44,489 people who ate one serving of chocolate per week were 22 percent less likely to have a stroke than people who ate no chocolate. A second study found that 1,169 people who ate 50 grams of chocolate once a week were 46 percent less likely to die following a stroke than people who did not eat chocolate. (While the authors of the study didn't cite which type of chocolate was consumed, dark chocolate contains a higher level of flavonoids than milk chocolate.) Learn more about the findings on the American Academy of Neurology Web site.
Read All About It: Articles of Interest to Family Caregivers
Check out these articles, all of which provide valuable information, advice and resources for family caregivers:
Adult day programs have been shown to reduce family caregivers' stress as well as rates of depression. Yet, funding cuts are threatening these programs across the country.
Neurology Now provides an overview of depression, including how patients with assorted neurological disorders are at particular risk, as are their family caregivers.
The Illinois Legislature just passed a law to allow spousal caregivers to receive funds through Medicaid.
Participate in a Free Webinar on Incontinence
The National Association For Continence (NAFC) is hosting a free webinar, Types of Incontinence, Voiding Dysfunction, and the Impact of the Aging Process, on Tuesday, May 18, at 8 p.m. (EST). Participants will be linked via toll-free conference calls and the Internet. This webinar will be presented by Eric Widera, M.D., assistant professor in the division of geriatrics at the University of California San Francisco. A live question and answer session will follow the webinar. The webinar will cover: types of incontinence, possible causes of incontinence, how incontinence impacts the aging population, and voiding dysfunction
Space is limited! Visit http://www.nafc.org/ today to register. If you know someone who would like to register but lacks Internet access, an audio-only connection is possible toll-free. Please call 800-BLADDER to register.
Wanted: Caregivers of Veterans
The National Alliance for Caregiving is seeking participants for a new study of family caregivers of veterans. This study is intended to determine how caregivers of veterans are coping and what community and VA services, resources, and programs would support and assist them with their caregiving activities. Cash incentives will be available for study participants and veterans who refer them. If you are a family caregiver of a veteran, or you know of one, and you wish to take part in this study, sign up here.
In addition, Veteran CareGiver is a brand new Web site that is devoted to addressing the challenges faced by veterans and their family caregivers. Click here to find out more.
2010 Rosalynn Carter Award/Scholarship Opportunities Announced
Mattie J. T. Stepanek Caregiving Scholarship
The Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving awards the Mattie J. T. Stepanek Caregiving Scholarship to provide financial assistance to family, professional, or paraprofessional caregivers of any age who are seeking training or education in specific skills, procedures and strategies that lead to more effective care at the same time that they serve to protect the health and well-being of the caregiver. Four $2,500 scholarships will be awarded. The deadline for applications is June 1, 2010. For more details and to download the application form, click here.
Rosalynn Carter Leadership in Caregiving Award
The Rosalynn Carter Leadership in Caregiving Award recognizes leadership in implementing innovative partnerships between community agencies and caregiving researchers that bridge the gap between science and practice. These partnerships help move effective caregiver support programs to widespread use in the community more quickly and efficiently. This year's award-winning team will receive a cash award of $20,000 to support the team's efforts in implementing effective caregiver interventions at the community level. The application deadline is July 1, 2010. For more information and to download the application form, click here.
