The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in April. This month’s focus is on the Senior Companion program, with coordinator Heather Daniels sharing about volunteers age 55 and older who make a difference by providing assistance and friendship to seniors, helping them remain in their homes.
April 4, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m.
April 11, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m.
April 18, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Center,1 p.m.
April 19, Caregiver support meeting at Anchor Point Senior Center, hosted by Paula Koch, 3 p.m.
April 25, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m.
Support meetings allow you to share your experiences as a caregiver, or support someone who is a caregiver. If you are helping a family member of friend by being a caregiver, learn what kind of help is available. There is no charge for these services and everyone is invited to attend.
For more information, call Sharon or Judy at (907) 262-1280.
The Homer Family Caregiver meetings take place on the second and fourth Thursday of each month (April 13 and 27) at Homer Senior Center, 2 to 3:30 p.m. Hosted by Pam Hooker. Call for more information, 235-4555.
Southeast
The Senior and Caregiver Resource Center at Southeast Senior Services in Juneau offers a call-in support group for residents of Southeast Alaska. The meeting time is the second Thursday of each month (April 13) at noon. Call for more information, toll free 866-746-6177.
The Ketchikan Family Caregiver Support Group meets the second Friday of each month (April 14), upstairs at the Ketchikan Senior Center at noon.
The Sitka Family Caregiver Support Group meets the third Wednesday of each month (April 19). For more information, call Brave Heart Volunteers, 747-4600.
Other locations
For information on caregiver support group meetings around the state:
Anchorage, 561-3313
Fairbanks, 452-2277
Juneau, 463-6164 or 463-6198
Kodiak, 486-6181
Nome, 443-4507
Palmer/Wasilla, 746-3413
Family caregiver tip of the month
Pets can be an important addition to your caregiving world. They are therapeutic and can be used by those with a variety of disabilities such as mental, physical or emotional. The real beauty of pets is they produce no side effects and are not a drug. All sorts of pets can be used – dogs, cats, horses, fish, birds and even rabbits.
How and why they are therapeutic is pretty simple: Unconditional love.
Holding a pet provides comfort and can take the focus off illness or disability for a short time; pets accept us unconditionally, they react to our emotions without judgment; pets trust you and we can learn from that to build trust in ourselves and others; pets are a wonderful audience and always listen to what you are saying with no interruptions; pets help us feel important and needed – they are totally dependent on us for their needs; pets like to play and give us the opportunity to enjoy playing with them.
Consider a pet as part of your caregiving opportunity, it may be worth the consideration.
– Judy Warren, Kenai Peninsula National Family Caregiver Support Program
