CARE CONFERENCE
JUNE 2008
at Mount Vernon Presbyterian Church
“Because You Care”
A special program for
Pastors and Church Leaders
Friday, June 6, 2008
1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Tea and Treats
MVPC
1511 E. Broadway
Mount Vernon WA 98274
(across from the hospital)
360-424-7675
“Because You Care” is a free event that will empower your church to successfully continue being a meaningful
and supportive presence in the lives of families in your congregations affected by serious illness requiring full time care, especially brain disabling diseases such as Alzheimer's/dementia.
We are pleased to have authors and former caregivers, Lyn and Bill Roche from Florida share ways to:
• Identify isolated families in your community who are caring for loved ones with severe loss.
• Understand the complexities of this type of long, on-going caregiving.
• Show care recipients and caregivers they are loved and not forgotten.
• Form Care Teams and Christ-centered caregiver support groups within your congregation.
Representatives from several organizations and service providers will be available to answer questions.
Because space is limited we ask that you call 360-424-7675 and register those from your faith community who will be attending.
With the projected numbers of just those who will develop Alzheimer's disease in the next fifteen years, we believe it is important for the church to prepare to meet this ever-increasing need.
About Lyn and Bill Roche:
Lyn and Bill live in Sebring , Florida and are authors of two books for caregivers; Coping With Caring andSharing The Care . They helped care for two parents with Alzheimer's. Lyn writes The Caregiver's Caregiver column for the Tampa Tribune. They are leaders in their church and are support group facilitators accredited by both the Alzheimer's Association and the Lewy Body Dementia Association. They are popular and inspiring speakers. They host several web sites…among them:
www.christiancaregiverconnection.net – www.thecaregiverscaregiver.com – www.journeybookstore.com
Mount Vernon Presbyterian Church Care Team is pleased to present the first…
Christian Caregiver Conference
A non-denominational program of valuable help to caregivers, which addresses the physical and
spiritual needs they face when caring for someone with a brain disabling disease.
All are welcome.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Registration and check-in – 8:30 a.m.
Two Sessions:
Session 1 - 9:00 – 12:00 – A Breath of Fresh Air – with Lyn and Bill Roche
12:15 – 1:00 – Lunch
Session 2 - 1:00 – 4:00 – Positive Approach Care Methods – with Teepa Snow
Space is limited – pre-registration is required
There is no charge – this program is a gift to caregivers from
Mount Vernon Presbyterian Church
1511 E. Broadway
Mount Vernon WA 98274
Contact:
the Church office
360-424-7675
office@mvpres.com
or
Victoria McCarty – Care Team Facilitator
360-387-0620
victoria@caretender.com
A Breath of Fresh Air – Session 1
Lyn and Bill Roche , authors and columnists from Sebring , Florida are dedicated to sharing ideas to help caregivers care for themselves and their loved ones. A Breath of Fresh Air is an interactive program that is all about love. Caregivers will come away from this gentle, loving program with tools they can use to Refuel, Recharge and Relax – important components of the caregiving journey for both family caregivers and professionals. Each caregiver attending A Breath of Fresh Air will be given a copy of their book, Coping with Caring , a gift from the MVPC Care Team. This daily inspirational book for caregivers gives an inspiring reflection and a practical caregiving tip on each page. Every day of the year the caregiver is uplifted and the dignity of their care recipient is maintained.
Positive Approach – Session 2
Teepa Snow will use her unique teaching skills to bring her Positive Approach to caring for those who need assistance because of brain disabling disease. She has a profound ability to accomplish easily what others struggle with and understands the dementia diseases in a way that few do. In addition, she will offer help to family members and friends on how to visit a person diagnosed with Alzheimer's/dementia, how to converse with someone who cannot speak, and other issues that are relevant to helping us understand this complex disease and help make life meaningful for those who have it. Those who have heard Teepa teach are eager to return again and again to learn from her.
Cut off here and mail to MVPC – Conference – 1511 E. Broadway Street , Mount Vernon WA 98274
Registration Required
Please Indicate sessions you will attend: Session 1 ________ Lunch: ________ Session 2 ________
Name ________________________________________________ Date: ________________________
Address: ______________________________________City: ______________________ State : ____ Zip:______
Phone: ____________________________________ e-mail: ______________________________
Special Needs: ________________________________________
About our speakers:
Lyn and Bill Roche
Lyn and Bill were caregivers for their parents. Lyn's dad developed the disease at age 63. A short time later Bill's mother developed the disease. Lyn also cared for her 95 year old grandmother who did not have dementia. Lyn and Bill began their journey of caring to uplift and help other caregivers relieve the stress and to promote ways of maintaining adult dignity for those receiving care. In 1995 Lyn wrote Coping With Caring: Daily Reflections for Alzheimer's Caregivers. People began calling her “the caregiver's caregiver.” In July 2007 that name became the name of Lyn's column for the Tampa Tribune. They traveled across the country presenting their Breath of Fresh Air Workshops. Since 2000 they have volunteered as accredited facilitators for an Alzheimer's Association weekly support group. They are also support group facilitators for the Lewy Body Dementia Association.
In 2004 they co-authored and published Sharing the Care: When Someone You Love Resides in an Adult Care Facility . That year they also began writing Boomers and Beyond, a column in Highlands Today, a Media General newspaper. A revised edition of Coping with Caring: When Someone You Love Has Alzheimer's or a Related Condition was published in 2006.
Whether speaking, writing, or working with people, Lyn and Bill love life, and love people. They know first hand what a caregiver's life is like. They inspire people to take as good care of themselves as they do their loved ones. You can learn more about them at their web sites: www.christiancaregiverconnection.net www.thecaregiverscaregiver.com www.boomersandbeyondthecolumn.com and find their books at www.journeybookstore.com
Teepa Snow , MS , OTR/L, FAOTA
Teepa is an occupational therapist currently serving as a dementia care and dementia education specialist. She has an independent practice as well as working part-time for the Eastern North Carolina Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. She is also a Counseling Associate for Duke University 's School of Nursing . She has over 26 years of experience in geriatrics. Previously, she served as the Education Director and lead trainer for the Alzheimer's Association. She has also been a program director and instructor for Durham Technical Community College 's OTA Program and a clinical associate professor at UNC's School of Medicine on an interdisciplinary team. She has a strong and varied clinical background. She was the OT director in a head injury facility, a clinical specialist in geriatrics at a Veteran's Administration Medical Center and has worked as a restorative care coordinator for long term care facilities, as well as providing direct care in community, home health, long term care, assisted living, and rehabilitation settings.
Teepa was born in West Virginia . She was raised in West Virginia , with a 3 year stay in Washington State early on, then lived near Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , until she went to college. She attended Duke University as an undergraduate and graduated with a major in zoology. She then received her MS degree from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill in Occupational Therapy. Since that time she has lived in North Carolina .
Teepa is a Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association, has received local, statewide, and national recognition her expertise in geriatrics, dementia care and programming, functional abilities, and individual care. She has developed two training videos, published many articles, and presents locally, regionally, and nationally on a variety of topics and to a wide variety of audiences. This past year she has presented over 350 programs throughout the US . She has received awards for her clinical and teaching skills from many organizations.
About the MVPC Care Team
This Caregiver Outreach Ministry began in 2006. It is non-denominational and open to anyone in the community with a desire to be supportive of caregivers. The MVPC Care Team strives to bring awareness and understanding of the complexity of the many neurological brain disabling diseases, such as Alzheimer's, stroke, Parkinson's, and others, that cause dementia and the difficulties and burdens of caring faced by caregivers. They provide resource information through the church office and caregiving materials through their Care Library.
Each month they host Tea at 2:00 for caregivers and care receivers who are able to attend. It is a social time where caregivers are pampered and treated to tea and treats. Four times a year the Care Team joins with the Turning Institute to hold a Caregiver Renewal Day for caregivers. This year brings to the community the first Christian Caregiver Conference, which is provided free to caregivers by the Care Team, church members and others who support this work. We believe that by supporting caregivers, advocating for care issues, and most of all, educating ourselves about the complicated dementia diseases, we can help in the ever-growing costly experience of care. We are eager to help other churches develop similar programs to meet the needs of caregivers in every community.