All Posts in "Everything Else"

“I had no idea how caregiving truly requires 24/7!  The addition of caregiving adds a whole new dimension to anything I do,” says Edie Pelham. She’s caring for her sister who has dementia. Prior to contacting the Family Caregiver Support Program, Edie was either worrying about her sister or bringing her along to work each day.  “I wouldn’t change it for anything, but having her at Memory Care & Wellness Services takes a bit of the pressure off for that brief time.  It’s huge in helping me recharge.”

Caring for a person with dementia is not something we are born knowing how to do.  And our medical system is not particularly well-suited to helping individuals with dementia and their families in learning skills to manage behaviors and day-to-day care. Physicians, often the most trusted resource for families, have limited time and frequently don’t provide even simple referrals, such as to the Alzheimer’s Association where plenty of up-to-date information, educational resources, and connections with local support groups is available. Or, to the local Family Caregiver Support Program which offers a wide array of information, education and supportive services to assist in providing care at home.

Families often wait too long to make such calls.  They delay reaching out for support until they are overwhelmed or exhausted.  Once overwhelmed, it’s hard to know what to do first, what service might help, or how to muster the time and energy to “take care of yourself.”  Are you or someone you know feeling this way?  If so, it can be beneficial to get assistance from a caregiving specialist to review your situation and determine action steps you could take to improve your situation now and in the future.

Here in Washington State, families can get this type of assistance by calling the Family Caregiver Support Program and asking about the Tailored Caregiver Assessment and Referral (TCARE®) system that incorporates a personal caregiver survey and assessment of a caregiver’s situation with consultation, if needed, around strategies and services to meet each caregiver’s unique needs.

Mr. S. is a great example of a caregiver who reached out and got the help he needed. He lives in northwest Washington, takes care of his wife with dementia and has medical concerns of his own.  He was referred to the Family Caregiver Support Program over a year ago.

After going through the assessment process and discussing it with his caregiver specialist, he made decisions to talk with a caregiver counselor, to see his physician and get back to exercising, and to try out a specialized adult day service program. He recently discussed his experience with the program.

“While I have been aware for some time of feeling better and of having a higher energy level, the reports you sent me demonstrate these facts quite dramatically.  I am also aware of being extremely grateful for all of your efforts on our behalf as well as those of your staff. I know Mrs. S. feels the same way. If she were able to fully appreciate how much your efforts have helped me there would be no limit to how grateful she would be.”

Pierce County is fortunate to have a variety of support options for families living with dementia, such as Alzheimer’s support groups, family caregiver counseling, dementia caregiver consultation and adult day service programs.

An innovative specialty service, new to the area is Skills2Care,â„¢ a proven in-home occupational therapy service for family caregivers and individuals with dementia. The program was designed to improve the well-being and skills of family caregivers, slow decline in daily functioning of persons with dementia and reduce challenging behaviors that can lead to nursing home placement. Services are provided in the home, with caregivers receiving 3-10 sessions within a 6-month period.

If you’re caring for a person with dementia, it’s critical to get information about the condition, to build or strengthen your support network, to keep yourself healthy and learn strategies and skills that can help you cope and provide the best possible care for your family member as things change over time.  Find out now about any of the supports mentioned above that sound helpful.

Need help getting started?  Don’t delay – call today. The local Family Caregiver Support Program can be reached through the Pierce County Aging and Disability Resource Center: (253) 798-4600 or 1-800-562-0332.

Lynne Korte Home and Community Services Division Aging and Disability Services Administration
Contributing Author by — August 24, 2011 in Everything Else

Friday nights in August bring the return of the State Capital Museum’s annual film series Movies at the Mansion.  A series that showcases films of the 1930s-1960s, the ones you may remember or have always wanted to see.

In a time of economic recession we revisit films that brightened America’s depression years with either zany comedy or witty repartee, and others that address important social issues against the backdrop of the 1930s.  And we can’t forget fan favorite Humphrey Bogart, who returns this year with Lauren Bacall in the simmering resort drama Key Largo with Edward G.  Robinson in his well known role as the villainous mobster.

By far the film that has been most requested is To Kill a Mockingbird starring Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch, the noble and heroic southern lawyer, and Peck’s favorite screen roll.  Peck won an academy award for this portrayal which is currently pictured on a commemorative postage stamp.    The film is based on the novel of the same name, written by Harper Lee and published in 1960 to great acclaim.  The story is set in a small southern town, against the backdrop of the Great Depression, and this provides the perfect location to explore the issues of race and justice that the mid-1960s would address in the civil rights movement.  This film ends our series of four Friday night presentations in August.

Between the second and third film is the Hepburn and Grant comedy Bringing up Baby.  A pet leopard on a leash, Cary Grant in Mr. Magoo glasses as a paleontologist(!?), and a “feather brained vixen”(!?)- as the film promotion stated-describing Katharine Hepburn’s character.  The clash of characters results in a series of love triangles, time in jail,  and nightclub misadventures.  Directed by Howard Hawkes, this is a classic screwball comedy produced in 1938.

Kicking off the series is the zany Mark’s Brother’s film A Night at the Opera made in 1935.  Set initially aboard ship, the stateroom scene has been characterized as the funniest five minutes in movie history and been copied in many films.  In this film the comedy characters developed by brothers Harpo, Chico and Groucho Marx become solidified; the child-like harpist (Harpo), the Italian-accented piano man (Chico), and the fast talking, cigar chomping heart-of-gold con-artist (Groucho).

There are four famous comedy sequences to watch for: Chico and Harpo contract signing with a “sanity Klaus;”  the previously mentioned  Stateroom scene; the hotel scene featuring all the brothers racing back and forth between rooms, switching furniture and personas; and of course Harpo swinging on the set backdrops during a performance at the Metropolitan Opera.  Here is a classic comic routine with Groucho as Otis P. Driftwood.

“Detective: You live here all alone? Driftwood: Yes. Just me and my memories. I’m practically a hermit. Detective: Oh. A hermit. I notice the table’s set for four. Driftwood: That’s nothing, my alarm clock is set for eight. That doesn’t prove a thing.”

As one film writer states “Young people should be treated to comedy as it once was when laughter depended upon uproarious wit and a brand of physical comedy perfected by comedians through years of refining their craft in vaudeville.”

 

AUGUST 5.        A Night at the Opera

AUGUST 13.      Key Largo

AUGUST 20.      Bringing up Baby

AUGUST 27.      To Kill a Mockingbird

Classic Movies at the Mansion.  Doors open at 8:30 PM.  Film history at 8:45 PM.

Museum front lawn with seating in Coach House in case of rain.

Bring a blanket and chair.  Snacks and drinks will be sold before and during the show.  Coffee provided.

$2 suggested donation.

Press Release by — August 3, 2011 in Everything Else

TACOMA, Wash. – Rabbi Steven Greenberg has an interesting view of things—he is openly gay, and is also an Orthodox rabbi. He says most people he meets are supportive. As for those who are not, he merely observes, “I despised myself for being gay for quite a while, so I’m patient with straight people for whom it takes time to understand.” (The Guardian, U.K.)

Greenberg will speak about his personal journey and give his interpretation of Jewish law in a free lecture at University of Puget Sound on Tuesday, Sept. 13, beginning at 7:30 p.m. The talk, “Wrestling with God and Men: Constructing a Queer Orthodox Faith,” will take place in Schneebeck Concert Hall. Thanks to the Swope Endowed Lectureship on Ethics, Religion, Faith, and Values, it is free and open to the public. Tickets are required, however. They can be obtained as explained below.

In his talk Greenberg will reveal the conflicts he faced personally and explore master stories from the Bible that have influenced our culture’s assumptions about sexuality. He will examine four traditional rationales for the prohibition of sex between members of the same gender, and reconsider how the laws of the Torah (the Jewish holy book) have been and could be applied to each.

Since “coming out” in 1999, Greenberg has turned his scholarship and talents to encouraging community dialogue on the subject of homosexuality and the Jewish tradition. He is the author of Wrestling with God & Men: Homosexuality in the Jewish Tradition, and he was a recipient of the Koret Book Award for Philosophy and Thought, one of the most prestigious awards in Jewish writing. Greenberg was featured in the acclaimed 2001 film Trembling Before G-d, about Orthodox gay Jews. The film was screened to 2,000 educators in Israel’s religious school system.

Greenberg received a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy from Yeshiva University in Israel and his rabbinical ordination from Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. During the course of his studies, he gradually began to question his sexual orientation. However, he continued to date women throughout his 20s, even becoming engaged to one. He says he kept hoping for change—but it proved impossible.

Today Greenberg is a senior teaching fellow at the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, a think tank and leadership-training institute in New York City. He is a founder of Jerusalem Open House, a LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community center in Israel’s Holy City. He helped organize the first Orthodox Mental Health Conference on homosexuality, and has worked with numerous families in reconciliation.

Greenberg’s lecture is sponsored by the Swope Endowed Lectureship on Ethics, Religion, Faith, and Values. The Swope was established at Puget Sound through a gift from Major Ianthe Swope in honor of her mother, Jane Hammer Swope. It is intended to promote discussion, critical thinking, and ethical inquiry about matters of religion, including its role in public life and contemporary ethics.

Tickets for the free, public lecture will be available from Monday, Aug. 29. They can be ordered at the information desk in Wheelock Information Center, online at www.ups.universitytickets.com, or by calling 253.879.3419. Advance ordering is highly recommended. A limited number of tickets will be available at the door. The doors open at 7 p.m. for the 7:30 p.m. lecture. A reception will be held following the lecture in Rasmussen Rotunda in Wheelock Student Center.

Press Release by — August 2, 2011 in Everything Else

Alzheimer’s caregivers have special challenges, interests, and needs.  Among them is connecting with others in similar straits to get the latest information from experts and those in the trenches. That’s why the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America recently launched Care Crossroads (www.carecrossroads.org), an interactive caregiver community Web site.  Besides videos and resources, it lets users connect with social workers and other experts via Skype and live chat, or brainstorm and commiserate with fellow caregivers via discussion boards and online support groups.  (Source: MetLife)

Press Release by — August 2, 2011 in Everything Else