Area Agency on Aging solicits input on Caregiver Support Workshops on Sept. 20, 2018

AAASWFL intends to request service waiver from Florida Department of Elder Affairs to provide Powerful Tools for Caregivers, a caregiver support workshop.
 
NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla. - Sept. 10, 2018 - PRLog -- In Florida, nearly 2.7 million residents are part-time or full-time caregivers for aging parents, spouses and other loved ones, according to the AARP.  The Area Agency on Aging for Southwest Florida (AASWFL) seeks to assist family caregivers by offering Powerful Tools for Caregivers, a caregiver support workshop.  The Agency seeks public feedback on its plans to provide this program through funding provided by the Older Americans Act.

AAASWFL intends to apply for a direct service waiver with the Florida Department of Elder Affairs to add Powerful Tools for Caregivers to its current slate of health and wellness programs. The Agency will host a public meeting to solicit community feedback on Thursday, Sept. 20 at 11:00 a.m. at the AAASWFL headquarters (15201 N. Cleveland Ave, North Fort Myers).

Powerful Tools for Caregivers is a multi-week workshop for family caregivers.  This education program provides caregivers with strategies to handle their unique challenges. Workshop participants develop tools to reduce personal stress, better communicate their needs to family members and health care providers, communicate more effectively, understand their emotional challenges, deal with difficult feelings, and make tough caregiving decisions.

Title III-D of the Older Americans Act provides funding for evidence-based disease prevention and health promotion programs that have been researched and proven to be effective.  Programs are conducted to educate seniors and their caregivers to adopt interventions that make noticeable differences in their health and well-being, and to increase the overall health of elder Floridians.

According to the AARP, caregivers are susceptible to a variety of physical and emotional stresses.  Twenty-two percent of caregivers believe their health has declined as a result of caregiving. One in five caregivers say that they have suffered a high level of physical strain because of their caregiver status, and 35% report a high level of emotional stress.

AAASWFL (http://www.aaaswfl.org) provides five health and wellness workshops through Title III-D:  A Matter of Balance, Tai Chi: Moving for Better Balance, Tai Chi for Arthritis for Falls Prevention, Walk With Ease, and the Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program.  The Agency has recently offered Powerful Tools for Caregivers in Charlotte County, and will request a waiver to offer the workshop throughout the region, focusing on counties that do not currently have a provider offering the workshops.

Any questions concerning the public meeting may be directed to Rebecca MacKenzie, Director of Programs and Planning at: becky.mackenzie@aaaswfl.org or by calling 239-652-6900.  Persons who are unable to attend the meeting but wish to provide feedback may send comments to Rebecca MacKenzie at the above email address.

The Area Agency on Aging for Southwest Florida is a nonprofit organization serving Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hendry, Lee, and Sarasota Counties.  The organization is committed to connecting adults ages 60 and over and people with disabilities to resources and assistance for living safely with independence and dignity.  AAASWFL is the state's designated Aging and Disability Resource Center for Southwest Florida.

More information is available at www.aaaswfl.org or by calling the toll-free Helpline at 866-413-5337 (866-41-ELDER).
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