When I am asked what the educational content of any upcoming Fearless Caregiver Conference will be, my answer is always, “I don’t know; I haven’t met the attendees yet.”  The unique key to the conferences is that we are dedicated to answering whatever questions the attendees ask during the day.  Certainly there are specific things that are covered at every event (driving, respite, financial issues, communicating with our loved ones, getting our family and friends to help), but we have always been committed to not “PowerPointing,” “pontificating” or “speechifying” our attendees. 

The reason I bring this up is because at last week’s first annual Western Connecticut Fearless Caregiver Conference, the most noteworthy topic raised was one that has long been of interest to us as an organization—the relationship between family and professional caregivers.

Earlier this year, we proudly announced that Dr. Jamie Huysman had become our Professional Issues Editor for just that reason.  We are excited that Jamie will be leading a special Professional Track at the upcoming Fearless Caregiver Conferences. In this session, Jamie will be detailing the National Association of Social Workers’ new Caregiver Standards and Practice Interventions, of which he was one of the original authors.

The Professional Track is open to all professional caregivers, not just social workers.  If you are a professional caregiver in the vicinity of the upcoming events, I think it is extraordinarily important to you and your clients that you attend this session. (And get some cost-effective CEUs in the deal.) 

For family caregivers, not only is partnering with your loved one’s professional caregivers the most fundamental thing you can do as a Fearless Caregiver, but many of these professionals are also family caregivers who truly understand what you go through on a daily basis.

A Day of Sharing Wisdom, indeed.

 

Gary Barg
Editor-in-Chief
gary@caregiver.com