For the many people who are not only living their own day-to-day lives but caring for an ailing parent or relative, life can be overwhelming at times, especially when it feels they are in it alone.
The VNA Caregiver Education Series, through Christiana Care, seeks to offer resources for those people through their free classes and seminars on topics. Classes include topics such as “Managing Day to Day Living,” where they can learn about daily tasks such as bathing, managing medications and making the home environment safe, to “Reducing Stress,” where caregivers can learn various coping skills and ways to reduce their stress while holding down the caregiver role. The classes started in May and will go through June and will then start again in the fall.
“The feedback has been very good,” said Mary Fox, program director at Christiana Care’s Evergreen Center in Milford. “People are very surprised to learn about what is available to them in the community. They learn how to use different devices to help loved ones ambulate and care for them, and they are relieved that someone is showing them how to do it correctly,” she explained.
“We also help them in managing their stress. We give them permission to express their emotions because it is a lot to handle and a lot of people fall into that role. We let them pour everything out and they are very thankful for that release. They think, ‘Thank God I’m not the only one going through this.’ In addition to that, we can hook them up with support groups.”
Fox said that participants in the classes get a whole gamut of information, from how to access state and federal programs, to how to set up their houses for safety, to the logistics of helping someone with bathing and walking.
They also learn about home care, hospice and adult-care respite centers, how to gain access for their loved ones, referral criteria, and how to qualify and learn about different programs that are available. They learn how to be an advocate and how to talk to their loved one’s doctor and also learn signs and symptoms of common occurrences such as urinary tract infections and upper respiratory infections, and learn to recognize signs and symptoms of depression.
There is no need for participants to have any healthcare experience, as the classes are taught to lay caregivers. Anyone who is currently caring for a spouse or relative or other family member is being invited to attend the free classes. They are done in two two-hour classes or one six-hour class, for which a meal is provided.
Classes are coming up in Kent County on June 14 at St. Polycarp Church. The first class will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. and is “Community Resources”; from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., there is “Managing Day to Day Tasks of Daily Living”; and from 2 to 4 p.m. is “Reducing Stress.”
Classes were also scheduled for Sussex County, in Georgetown and Ocean View, but were canceled due to lack of registrants. Classes will be held again in Sussex County in September.
For more information, visit www.christianacare.org/vnacaregivers online or call Christiana Care’s Evergreen Center in Wilmington at (302) 995-8448 or in Milford at (302) 422-1575.