By MARLIES SELENT-WEST
Indiana University Health-Goshen Home Medical, Home Care and Hospice

GOSHEN — Thirty-nine percent of the United States adult population consists of caregivers. The caregiving role can be rewarding yet confusing, difficult and overwhelming. IU Health Goshen, Greencroft, the Council on Aging, Firefly Homecare and many community organizations have partnered and designed Caregivers Navigation, a special event that will provide resources and education for caregivers. This event will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, at IU Health Goshen Hospital.

Anyone providing care for a loved one or who may care for someone in the future is invited to register. This event will help caregivers with educational sessions and a panel discussion.

The cost of the event is $10 in advance, $15 at the door and includes the following:

• Participant’s choice of educational sessions with experienced, knowledgeable professionals
• A resource guide for every participant
• Community organizations available to answer questions
• A panel discussion with question and answer time
• Lunch provided
• A chance to win door prizes, including but not limited to a Golden Tech lift chair from IU Health-Goshen Home Medical and gift certificates for massages, Oakwood Resort and Amish Acres

Participants will have their choice of one of the following sessions per time slot. Sessions at 9:30 a.m. will include:

• Transporting patients/selecting home medical equipment: Choosing the right home medical equipment and learning how to properly transport your loved one
• Caring for spiritual, emotional and physical health: Care for the caregiver. Caregiving is rewarding, but can also take a toll on your health. If you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be able to care for a loved one. This session will help you learn how to care for your spiritual, emotional and physical health.

The following sessions will be available at 10:30 a.m.:

• Understand elder law: Elder law is a collection of topics and issues that commonly affect the aging population. This session will cover issues like estate planning, financial planning, incapacity planning, probate and long term care.

• The A to Z of home care to long-term care: There are many types of senior care types and senior housing options. Learn about about available senior care solutions.

The following sessions will be available at 11:30 a.m.:

• Basics and top 10 signs of dementia/Alzheimers: Know the 10 signs for early detection of Alzheimers and get the facts about Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Learn about coping with behaviors, options for families and caregivers and how valuable caregiving is in this population.
• Hospital stays: Admission and observation explained; patient status explained. Not knowing the differences can have costly consequences.

Register by calling (877) 566-4660. For more information or questions, call Marlies at (574) 533-0626, ext. 110 or by email at [email protected].