Caregiver workshop scheduled in Gold Beach

Southwestern Oregon Community College CARE Connections and Curry County Home Health and Hospice are teaming up to sponsor a free six-week course on “Taking Care of You: Powerful Tools for Caregivers” in Curry County next week.

The series, designed to assist unpaid caregivers of older adults develop and practice effective self-care tools, is scheduled from 1 to 3 p.m. on Mondays, Feb. 25 through March 31, at the Curry County Courthouse Annex Blue Room in Gold Beach.

Powerful Tools for Caregivers is an education program developed by Legacy Caregiver Services for family and friends caring for older adults who have strokes, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease or similar long-term conditions. The class provides family caregivers with the skills and confidence to better care for themselves while caring for others. An underlying assumption is that when a caregiver practices self-care, the person receiving care also benefits.

“Our program cannot take away care-giving problems, but it can help caregivers better manage their situations, seek and find solutions and thrive as individuals,” said Legacy Caregiver Services Director Leslie Congleton.

Classes are facilitated by Pattie Slagle and Liz Cohen using a standardized curriculum. All class facilitators are required to complete an intensive class leader course of training with Legacy Caregiver Services in Portland. There is no cost to participate in the program and a manual developed specifically for the class – “The Caregiver Handbook” – is available for loan or purchase. A $25 donation is requested to help defray the cost of the book, but no one will be turned away for inability to pay.

For more information about the class, those interested can call Liz Cohen at CARE Connections at (541) 469-9299 or toll-free at (800) 419-1371.

Press Release Date: February 22, 2008