Gincy Heins is participating in the Caregiver Smile Summit
Gincy Heins is participating in the Caregiver Smile Summit
Gincy is participating in the Caregiver Smile Summit.
Gincy is a teacher, author, and volunteer, as well as caregiver and advocate for her husband who was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment when he was 55 years old. She volunteers with Alzheimer’s Orange County and has held writing classes for early stage Alzheimer’s patients and their care partners. Gincy has spoken on panels at the 18th and 20th Southern California Alzheimer’s Disease conferences. She was selected as the 2016 Alzheimer’s Orange County Visionary Women Family Caregiver Award Honoree, and has been a nominee for the 2016 and 2017 Senior Care Hero Award and 2016 WEGO Health Activist Award.
Gincy is one of the co-authors of the 365 Caregiving Tips series which covers Practical Tips from Everyday Caregivers, Travel and Respite, and Hospitals, Care Facilities and Hospice. She is also the creator and editor of Before the Diagnosis: Stories of Life and Love Before Dementia, an anthology of stories by 36 authors, each about a relative they have known and loved before that person was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or another type of dementia. Over 90% of the profits from the sales of the book are donated to four nonprofit organizations that assist people with any type of dementia, and their families.
Her topic on the caregiver smile summit is: Caregiving: It’s a Bend in the Road, Not the End of the Road
Find out more about the Caregiver Smile Summit – www.caregiversummit.org
Our Friday Song of the Week-Woodstock – Amazing Grace
Our Friday Song of the Week – Woodstock – Amazing Grace
After seeing Santana in Charlotte my wife and I were inspired to have a Woodstock party. Not taking my duties lately, I found the Woodstock lineup and all the songs that were performed. I took it upon myself to try to learn at least one or two songs from each artist at Woodstock in the order of appearance. Some artists or songs were so obscure that I had to skip them or I simply did not know the songs. For some artists I didn’t care for the songs that they did at Woodstock so I did another one of their songs that they made famous after Woodstock. I figured it was only appropriate to rehearse in my garage and to tape the rehearsal as opposed to going into my more polished studio and hooking up everything to my sound system on my computer. So what you’re seeking and hearing is my replication of our version of Woodstock complete with the garage band feel, me in jeans and a T-shirt and unshaven. Please pardon the surroundings, but I thought it would add some authenticity, but I hope you enjoy the songs. So here’s one by Arlo Guthrie from Day 1 called Amazing Grace.
Lakelyn Hogan is Participating in the Caregiver Smile Summit
Lakelyn is participating in the Caregiver Smile Summit
We are pleased to welcome Lakelyn Hogan to the Caregiver Smile Summit.
Lakelyn serves as Gerontologist and Caregiver Advocate at the Global Headquarters of Home Instead Senior Care®. Lakelyn began her career at the local franchise working one-on-one with seniors and CAREGivers. Today at t he Global Headquarters, Lakelyn works to educate professionals in aging, families and communities on Home Instead’s services and how to navigate the unique challenges older adults face. Lakelyn is a doctoral student at the University of Nebraska – Omaha where she is studying Social Gerontology. She has a Master of Arts in Social Gerontology and Master’s in Business Administration from UNO. Lakelyn has professional experience in the private and public sectors of senior care services. She also values giving back to her community. Currently, serving as Vice President of the Board of Directors for the Dreamweaver Foundation, that grants lifelong wishes for terminally ill older adults. She is also active in the Alzheimer’s Association’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Lakelyn has a passion for helping others, especially aging adults and their families.
Her topic on the caregiver smile summit is: Daughters in the Workplace: The Forgotten Caregiver
Find out more about the Caregiver Smile Summit – www.caregiversummit.org
Barry Jacobs is participating in the Caregiver Smile Summit
Barry Jacobs is participating in the Caregiver Smile Summit
Barry is participating in the Caregiver Smile Summit.
Barry J. Jacobs is a clinical psychologist, family therapist, and Principal for Health Management Associates, a national healthcare consulting firm. For 24 years, he was the Director of Behavioral Sciences for the Crozer-Keystone Family Medicine Residency Program in Springfield, Pennsylvania. He is the co-author (with Julia L. Mayer, Psy.D) of AARP Meditations for Caregivers—Practical, Emotional and Spiritual Support for You and Your Family (Da Capo, 2016) and the author of The Emotional Survival Guide for Caregivers—Looking After Yourself and Your Family While Helping an Aging Parent (Guilford, 2006). He is a co-editor of the e- book, Collaborative Perspectives—A Selection of CFHA’s Best Blogs From 2009-2015 (CFHA, 2017).
Dr. Jacobs has given more than 500 presentations on family caregiving for family caregivers, community groups, and medical and mental health professionals. He is the national spokesperson on caregiving for the American Heart Association and an honorary board member of the Well Spouse Association. He has served on the expert panel for the Caregiver Crisis Great Challenge for TEDMED.com and as a board member of the Collaborative Family Healthcare Association, a national organization on the integration of mental and physical healthcare. In 2016, he received its lifetime achievement award, the Don Bloch Award. He has held adjunct faculty positions with the Temple University School of Medicine, the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, and the Department of Psychology of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.
A blogger on family caregiving topics for AARP.org and, previously, the Huffington Post, Dr. Jacobs received his bachelor’s degree from Brown University and his doctorate in psychology from Hahnemann/Widener Universities.
His topic on the caregiver smile summit is: Easing Age-Based Sibling Rivalry in Caregiving
Find out more about the Caregiver Smile Summit – www.caregiversummit.org
11 STAGES OF CAREGIVING –WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW CARING FOR A LOVED ONE
11 STAGES OF CAREGIVING – WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW WHEN TAKING CARE OF A LOVED ONE
I talk a lot about the life stages of a caregiver and the caregiving experience. For our Caregiver Smile Summit, we actually broke our segments into 12 life stages in order to mimic real life. Let’s take a look at 11 of them. Can you relate to the following?
Becoming a Caregiver
Many are thrust into caregiving out of the blue. Now is the time to plan and adjust your mindset and your attitude to prepare you for the road ahead.
Caregiver Health
Before you can take care of others, however, you must take care of yourself. There are apps to help, holistic practices, energy healing, and more; all striving to chill you out, help you take a breath, and take care of you!
Making Life Easier
There is no need to go it alone when caregiving. Leaning on others is one thing. But being efficient with your use of time and technology can go a long way in helping.
This can include anything from organizing tips around your lifestyle to making quick meals for you and your loved one. The goal is to help you simplify your life and pay attention to what is important.
Family Dynamics
Once you have your health in order and your plan in place, it is time to deal with family members. It could be involve talking with your loved one about dementia, the desire to capture their life story, or dealing with an estranged family member. Getting on the right page is essential.
Legal and Financial Caregiving
Avoiding exploitation. Managing debt. Medicaid spend down. You can’t be a complete caregiver without managing the legal and financial minutia. And it’s better to do that when your loved one’s health is in order and your family is aligned with you in a plan.
Caregiving in the Workplace
Six out of 10 caregivers are in the workforce, and the workforce culture has a long way to go in creating supportive cultures for caregivers. That is why exploring the issues of ageism, dealing with unsupportive co-workers, knowing your rights, and more is so important.
Disease-Specific Caregiving
Not every caregiving situation is about caring for an older person or even someone with dementia. It could involve caring for an autistic child.
In any case, knowing the resources available for your specific situation is key. Whether it’s online portals to local support groups, now is the time to dig into the nitty gritty of caregiving.
Aging in Place
There is a progression in caregiver life stages, which corresponds to a progression of possible living scenarios for those for whom you care.
Ideally people want to age in their home. It may not be realistic for some, however. We have explored aging in place through several videos here on Sixty and Me. From technologies to strategies to finances and more, you can create a sensible plan for your loved one to stay where they are!
Senior Living
There may come a time when advanced care is needed. It is never too soon to explore and understand the options in senior housing, the acuity level they address, and how it is all paid for – one of the least understood topics of all.
End of Life
Every caregiving situation ends. Are you prepared? Do you have advance directives in place? Are you considering hospice? Do you know what hospice provides? Is your estate plan in order? In our Summit, we gently and respectfully guide you through the inevitable issues that we all will face some day.
After the Caregiving Is Over
Have you thought about how your purpose may change once you are no longer a caregiver? I never thought my caring would end, but, in reality, it was just a short two-and-a-half-year period. Then I had to get back to the business of my life and career. Now you need to restore your joy and find new purpose.
If you want help at any stage, consider attending our third Caregiver Smile Summit. This year we have 43 experts exploring 39 topics. Altogether, our Summits have attracted 135 experts covering 128 topics in 12 categories of care.
Which one of these stages are you in currently? What do you find most difficult to do as a caregiver? Do you need help managing your situation? Please share with our community.
