Family Caregiver Support Program Seeks Volunteers

BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. - Feb. 14, 2019 - PRLog -- The Area Agency on Aging for Southwest Florida (AAASWFL) seeks empathetic volunteers to become certified Powerful Tools for Caregivers class leaders.  The Agency is partnering with Right at Home of Bonita Springs for a two-day training workshop on Feb. 25-26.  AAASWFL will support the cost of training for volunteers who commit to leading Powerful Tools for Caregivers workshops for the Agency.

Caring for a loved one can be demanding, stressful, and a strain on physical health.  Caregivers often sacrifice their own health and well-being while caring for a partner or family member. As a result, family caregivers experience higher than average rates of depression, chronic illness, sleep deprivation, and poor nutrition.

Powerful Tools for Caregivers is a program designed to provide caregivers with the skills they need to better take care of themselves while also caring for a loved one.  Certified class leaders help caregivers reduce stress, improve self-confidence, balance their lives, make tough decisions, find community resources, and better communicate their feelings.  Although experience with counseling, nursing or caregiving may be helpful, it is not required to be an effective class leader.

The training workshop will be held from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. both days at Right at Home (27657 Old 41 Rd., Bonita Springs).  Participants must attend both days to become certified. Class size is limited and advance registration is required.

For more information or to register for two-day training workshop, call Sherry Young at 866-413-5337 or email sherry.young@aaaswfl.org.

AAASWFL (http://www.aaaswfl.org) also offers volunteer opportunities for health and wellness class leaders and Medicare counselors through the SHINE/SMP program.

Currently celebrating its 40th anniversary, 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 older 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 by calling the AAASWFL Elder Helpline at 866-413-5337 (41-ELDER) or by visiting the Agency's website at http://www.aaaswfl.org.