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Powerful Tools for Caregiving:
Class Descriptions
Class #1: Taking Care of You
This class provides an overview of the entire course. It emphasizes
that the focus is on the caregiver, not on the family member
receiving care, and that caregivers will develop a variety of “self-care
tools.” The challenges of caregiving and significance of
caregivers self-care are dramatized through a video. Beginning
in this class, caregivers make a weekly action plan for self-care.
Class #2: Identifying and Reducing Personal Stress
Four steps are presented for effective stress management:
(1)
Identifying early warning signs
(2) Identifying personal sources
of stress
(3) Changing what you can change and accepting what you cannot
change
(4) Taking action
Tools to reduce stress are discussed.
Participants learn how to change negative self-talk – which
increases stress and erodes confidence – to positive self-talk.
Beginning in this class, caregivers learn five relaxation activities
that are easy to incorporate into their daily lives.
Class #3: Communicating Feelings, Needs and Concerns
Participants learn how to communicate their feelings, needs and
concerns more effectively by using “I” messages.
Through brief dramatizations, participants experience the impact
of both “I” messages and “you” messages
(which tend to sound blaming and put people on the defensive).
They practice changing “you” messages to “I” messages,
and identify when statements beginning with the word “I” are
actually hidden “you” messages.
Class #4: Communicating in Challenging Situations
Participants practice two communication tools – assertive
and Aikido – that are helpful in difficult situations. They
learn a four-step process, called DESC - Describe, Express, Specify,
and Consequence - for using the assertive style of communication.
With Aikido, participants learn how to align and find “common
ground” with a person who is distressed. One segment highlights
guidelines for communicating with a person who is memory impaired.
Class #5: Learning From Our Emotions
The overriding theme of this class is “our emotions are messages
we need to listen to.” It emphasizes that feelings occur
for a reason and that feelings are neither good nor bad. Focus
is on identifying constructive ways for dealing with difficult
feelings — especially anger, guilt, and depression — and
resources for professional help.
Class #6: Mastering Caregiving Decisions
The focus of this class is on the internal emotional process
caregivers go through when they experience a life change. Tools
for dealing
with changes and for making tough decisions – including
a seven-step decision-making model and the family meeting – are
discussed. Because a pessimistic attitude makes the job of caregiving
even harder, seven “tools of optimism” are presented
that caregivers can incorporate into their lives.
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For more information, call the
Family Caregiver Resource Center:
360-694-8144 - Clark County
360-577-4929 - Cowlitz & Wahkiakum
Counties
509-427-9466 - Skamania County Senior
Services
509-493-3068 - White Salmon, Klickitat
County Senior Services
509-773-3757 - Goldendale, Klickitat
County Senior Services
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