Piscataquis begins Thriving in Place
New collaborative offers SAVVY Caregiver training
Supporting caregivers is a top priority for the Piscataquis Thriving in Place Collaborative (TiP). Forty million American family caregivers provide $470 billion of uncompensated care every year – 178,000 of them Mainers who account $2.2 billion of that care load. Caregivers over the age of 50 who leave the workforce to tend to the needs of aging parents lose an average of $304,000 in wages and benefits over a lifetime.
A striking 34 percent of all relatives providing care to a loved one are over 65 years old. As the oldest county in the state, it is not surprising that Piscataquis has a large population of unsung family caregivers who need more support in order to keep up their valuable and exhausting efforts.
“Providing care for someone you love often begins so gradually that you don’t identify yourself as a caregiver,” says Cheryl Crabtree, TiP volunteer and program coordinator for The Commons at Central Hall.
Crabtree says the demands of caring for an older adult generally increase with time and can leave caregivers isolated and overwhelmed if they do not have others who can shoulder some of the responsibility and offer them a break. In fact, it is not uncommon for stressed caregivers to overlook their own needs and end up with health problems that undermine their capacity to care for their loved one.
Through the Piscataquis Thriving in Place Collaborative, volunteers and local organizations, including Pine Tree Hospice, the Charlotte White Center, Penquis, Community Health and Counseling, Eastern Area Agency on Aging and the Maine Highlands Senior Center, have joined forces to better understand and respond to the needs of caregivers. As a result, they have launched several projects to support caregivers throughout the region.
Cheryl Crabtree and longtime Piscataquis resident Theresa Boettner have completed extensive facilitator training in order to provide SAVVY Caregiver Training. Their commitment to offering this 6-week course about caring for loved ones who have dementia is a tremendous asset to our region, and they are eagerly recruiting for classes that begin in Dover-Foxcroft on August 12, Milo on September 8, and Dexter on October 13.
SAVVY Caregiver training is designed to help relative caregivers learn about how dementia changes thinking and behavior and how they can respond to those changes in ways that preserve the dignity and comfort of their loved ones, while also helping them to experience less stress and more fulfillment.
One in eight people over 65 have Alzheimer’s disease, and the risk of developing dementia increases with age. Considering that the fastest growing segment of our population is those over the age of 85, it stands to reason that more family caregivers confront dementia-related challenges each year.
While Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, the SAVVY training is appropriate for individuals dealing with any type of dementia. Crabtree says that one of the greatest benefits of the training is that participants discover that they are not alone in their struggles, and that connecting with other caregivers can bring relief and renewed energy to what is often a very exhausting role.
Anyone interested in registering for SAVVY Caregiver training or learning more about it, may call Eastern Area Agency on Aging at 1-800-432-7812.
Several presentations about dementia hosted by Pine Tree Hospice and funded in part by the TiP have drawn large crowds in Dover-Foxcroft in the last couple of years, including the most recent one by Kathryn Pears held at the Congregational Church. In an effort to make such presentations available in other areas of the region, TiP will be hosting a training featuring Peter Baker of the Maine Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association at the Shaw Library on Thursday, Sept. 22, from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Lunch will be included. More information about how to register for this event can be obtained by 564-0273.
Recognizing that busy caregivers are not always able to participate in public events, the TiP has used funding from the Maine Health Access Foundation and AARP to supply five local libraries with many up-to-date books and DVDs about various caregiving topics, including medical, financial, nutritional, mental health, and self-care concerns. Participating in the project are Shaw Library in Greenville, Guilford Memorial Library, Thompson Free Library in Dover-Foxcroft, Milo Free Public Library, and Abbott Memorial Library in Dexter.
TiP volunteers are working with the librarians to make sure that information about local resources that support caregiving and aging in place is available to the public. Volunteers are also preparing to provide in-person support to caregivers for a few hours a month in the Dover- Foxcroft and Dexter libraries.
On Thursday, Aug. 4, the Maine Highlands Senior Center will host a caregiver luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Charlotte White Center. This working luncheon, facilitated by geriatrician Lesley Fernow, will provide an opportunity for representatives from the MHSC to listen to caregivers’ thoughts about what community services would be most useful to them. Anyone interested in attending may RSVP to Cheryl Crabtree at mh16crabtree@gmail.com or call 564-0273.
To learn more about the Piscataquis Thriving in Place Collaborative, readers are encouraged to call Meg Callaway at 564-0273.