As an educator and life-long student, Jane Barton, MTS, MASM, CSA, AARP Caregiving Ambassador, believes that knowledge provides the necessary foundation from which to make the best decisions. This is certainly true within the context of the caregiving journey. Enlightened with information about the diagnosis and prognosis, available community resources, and medical options, caregivers and care receivers are better able to navigate the journey of caregiving. Please join us to meet community provides of care, to listen to experts in various fields of care, and to learn of the challenges and opportunities encountered after a serious diagnosis.

Agenda:

 8 - 10 a.m.                Registration, Coffee, Exhibitors
10 a.m. - 12 p.m.       Speakers
12 p.m.-  1:15 p.m.    Lunch
 1:15 -  2:30 p.m.       Jane Barton, MTS, MASM, CSA, AARP Caregiving Ambassador

After the Diagnosis—Learning to Live with a Serious Disease

In the aftermath of the diagnosis of a serious disease, we often feel  dazed, confused, and afraid. A natural reaction to devastating—and often unexpected—news. Based upon the specifics of our diagnosis and situation, we will confront the challenge, consider the options, and make the necessary decisions. Fundamental to how we move through the process is our attitude toward the illness. Are we fighting the illness? Or, are we learning how to live with the illness? Confrontational or curious? Which attitude serves us better? How does our attitude inform the decisions made and our experience of life?

Speaker presentations will include:

• The Challenge (and Opportunity) of Change
  Jennifer McBride - President and Co-Founder of The HeartLight Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing affordable grief support and education to the Denver metro area. 
  

  When we experience change in our lives we go through, and hopefully “grow through” a process of recognizing, facing and dealing with those changes and challenges.

  There are many types of change we can encounter in our lives, including loss of relationship, unemployment, loss of health, loss of independence or security, family crises, loss of hopes and dreams and facing life without the physical presence of someone loved.  Whether you have experienced one or more of these or are supporting someone who is dealing with these changes and challenges we hope you will gain some helpful tools and strategies for growing through integrating these changes.

  Jennifer will also share about some special grief support programs for 2019 designed specifically to support those in our community who are coping with the unique grief after caring for someone who had Alzheimer’s or other dementias.

• They're called "Powers" for a reason (hint: they're powerful!)
  Julie Groves - Elder Law Attorney - Groves Law LLC, A native of Denver, Julie's practice emphasizes estate and trust planning, powers of attorney, living wills, probate, and elder law. 
  

  Whether you are young or old, healthy or infirm, powers of attorney allow you to nominate the people you trust to make financial and health care decisions for you should you not be able to make or to communicate those decisions yourself.  These powers allow an "agent" to pay your bills, cash checks, and manage your day-to-day affairs.  They also allow your agent to talk with your doctors and to make decisions regarding simple routine care or more serious end of life treatment.  By selecting individuals of your choice, you ensure that your agents are people who know you, know your values, and will advocate for you if needed.  Having powers of attorney in place also allows you to avoid a more expensive and time-consuming court proceeding to have a guardian and/or conservator appointed to manage your affairs.  In this program, we will talk about specific provisions contained in powers of attorney, where to obtain powers of attorney, how to execute them, and what you should do with your powers after they've been signed.

• A Mile in Your Shoes: The Misunderstood Role of Grief and Loss in Dementia Caregiving and How to Help
  Kay Adams - President of Compassion Works LLC, Kay Adams, LCSW is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, speaker, and owner of Compassion Works, LLC. Kay enthusiastically engages family and professional caregivers and organizations impacted by dementia through coaching, consulting, education and training.
  
  Caregiving of any kind comes with its own set of opportunities and challenges to navigate along the way. Knowing how to compassionately support caregivers can seem intuitive at times and far less obvious at others. This is certainly true when it comes to companioning caregivers who are facing the daunting task of caring for anyone living with dementia. Due to the long-term nature of the illness, the profound impact it has on relationships, and the often-unrecognized losses that that can complicate the journey, caregivers need our understanding and support more than ever. However, they often don’t get the validation they need and deserve due to the misunderstood role that anticipatory grief and ambiguous loss play in the disease process. This program will provide an empathic view into this issue which impacts millions of caregivers every day, and provide tips on how we all can help.
  
  
• Caregiver Stress and Survival
  Carly Lancaster - Program Director for Rocky Mountain Stroke Center
  

  The experience of becoming a caregiver is difficult in that it involves learning about an entirely new illness and role. While my expertise is in stroke, the issues that caregivers of stroke survivors face overlap in many ways with caregivers of other chronic illnesses. Learn about some of the challenges and strategies for managing them. Learn about the unique grief that comes with a stroke/other life changing illnesses and ways to effectively cope with loss. By the end of this program, each person will have at least one take away that helps alleviate some of the stress related to caregiving.

• A Little Help
  Paul Ramsey - The Executive Director - A Little Help, Paul has over 25 years’ experience building organizations and promoting positive social change. He is passionate about the mission of A Little Help and the pairing of volunteers with their senior neighbors to help them stay and thrive in their homes.
  

  A Little Help is a nonprofit organization that connects neighbors to help seniors thrive to enhance lives and strengthen our communities. To that end, A Little Help is helping older adults to age well in their homes by connecting them to an important resource plentiful in every community, good neighbors. Many tasks around the house and yard chip away at independence, but with A Little Help, good neighbors can help older adults with transportation, yard work, handiwork, home organization, and social engagement, empowering seniors to thrive in the communities they have put down roots in for decades.

  
  
• Successful Aging for Everyone
  Beth Corn - Director of Community Life - Someren Glen - A Life Plan Community, She plans, schedules and executes activities, classes, excursions, lectures, travelogues, programs and art. Beth’s focus is helping residents and team members’ age well and encouraging growth physically, spiritually, socially and intellectually.
  
  Research has shown time and time again that no matter your age, everyone can grow. There are many lifestyle choices we make every day that contribute to aging well-or not. Successful aging is seventy percent determined by our choices, not our parents. Learn the basics of smarter choices and simple changes to improve overall health and wellness. Practical and scientifically sound recommendations on what it takes to age successfully will be shared. The information revealed will provide a road map for a successful journey into the future.