‘Caregiver SOS: On Air’ Launches on KLUP 930-AM in San Antonio

Oct. 19, 2011 - PRLog -- San Antonio, TX – The WellMed Charitable Foundation has launched another important resource for caregivers -- Caregiver SOS: On Air, a new bi-monthly radio show tackling issues important to the growing population of caregivers in South and Central Texas.

Caregiver SOS: On Air is an hourlong program that airs regularly the first two Sundays of the month at 6 p.m. on Newstalk 930-AM KLUP. The show is presented by the WellMed Charitable Foundation (www.wellmedgives.org), a  non-profit 501c3 organization that supports seniors and their caregivers  in our community with a special emphasis on wellness, prevention and living with chronic illness.

The show’s host and chief architect is Carol Zernial (MA), Executive Director of the WellMed Charitable Foundation, a nationally recognized gerontologist and aging expert. Zernial serves on the Board of Directors of the National Council on Aging and the statewide Aging Texas Well Advisory Committee. In 2008, she received the Outstanding Professional in Aging Award in Texas for her contributions to the field of aging.

Joining her as co-host is Ron Aaron, a veteran radio broadcaster and “The Voice of WellMed.” Aaron also co-hosts WellMed Radio, a health information show focused on senior wellness which airs 5 p.m. every Saturday on KLUP. An award-winning radio talk show host and film producer, Ron is also an adjunct professor of Poli Sci at UTSA. He earned his M.A. in Communications from The Ohio State University and his J.D. with honors from George Washington University National Law Center.

Also featured on the show will be author James D. “Dr. Jamie” Huysman, psychologist and Board Certified Licensed Social Worker. He will lead a closing segment “Take Ten with Dr. Jamie” designed to help caregivers deal with stress.

Dr. Huysman is an official spokesperson for the National Association of Social Workers and serves on the NASW committee to establish national protocols for certification and standardization of caregiving practices. He has appeared as an expert counselor on several TV talk shows including “The Geraldo Show,” “The Montel Williams Show,” and “The Leeza Show.”

The radio show is an extension of the WellMed Charitable Foundation’s “Caregiver SOS by WellMed” initiative, which includes four resource centers in San Antonio and the Rio Grande Valley; the Caregiver Teleconnection telephone support service (www.caregiverteleconnection.org) – the first of its kind in the nation; and implementation of the Stress-Busting Program for Family Caregivers curriculum designed by UT Health Science Center researchers Sharon Lewis (PhD) and Denise Miner-Williams (PhD).

Caregiver SOS: On Air is taped weekly but listeners may submit questions or ideas for future shows to radio@wellmed.net, or by calling the Caregiver SOS information line at 210-877-7987.

The WellMed Charitable Foundation (www.wellmedgives.org) is a non-profit 501(C)3 organization that supports seniors and their caregivers in our community with special emphasis on wellness, prevention and living with chronic illness.  Established in 2006 by Dr. George M. Rapier III, a noted physician and the Chairman of the Board, the Foundation has contributed more than $3 million to Texas-based non-profit groups.

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The WellMed Charitable Foundation (www.wellmedgives.org) is a non-profit 501(C)3 organization that supports seniors and their caregivers in our community with special emphasis on wellness, prevention and living with chronic illness. Established in 2006 by Dr. George M. Rapier III, a noted physician and the Chairman of the Board, the Foundation has contributed more than $3 million to Texas-based non-profit groups.