North Woods Village at Edison Lakes Offering Program on Recognizing Caregiver Stress

Program Designed to Help Caregivers Identify Symptoms of Stress and Learn Ways to Cope

North Woods Village at Edison Lakes, Michiana’s first stand-alone memory care assisted living community, will be conducting a free educational

seminar titled “Recognizing Caregiver Stress” on Tuesday November 19 at 6:00 p.m. The program, for adult children who are providing care for a loved one with a memory disorder, will be presented by Shellie Kermin, Community Relations Director, at The Great Room at Granger Commons, 630 E. University Drive in Granger. Light refreshments will be served at the event, which is open to the public.

Says Ms. Kermin, “When you are suddenly thrust into the role of primary caregiver, you are never informed that part of the responsibility of caring for a loved one is taking care of your own health. Self-diagnosing caregiver stress can be difficult, but you may notice some telltale signs such as feelings of worry and anxiety, sleeping too little or too much or constantly feeling exhausted. At the seminar, we will review the signs and symptoms of caregiver stress and also discuss ways you can protect your own physical health and emotional well-being.”

Dale Carter, Executive Director of North Woods Village at Edison Lakes adds, “As the area’s only single-purpose memory care provider, we believe it is our responsibility to provide community members with information, education and resources that enable them to better understand Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of memory loss affecting record numbers of Americans today. Given the multiple challenges of the caregiver role, the odds are good that if you’re caring for an elderly loved one you have caregiver stress. Therefore, it is important to recognize the primary signs of stress and to make sure you are taking adequate steps to maintain your own health. An unhealthy caregiver is much less capable of fulfilling an already difficult role.”

If you are dealing with the challenges of a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease, you are not alone. Today with the increasing number of aging adults who are living longer, there has been a significant increase in the number of older Americans diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or other form of memory impairment. These degenerative diseases can dramatically affect the lives of those diagnosed as well as their family members who provide their care and support. Until a cure is found, awareness of the latest coping mechanisms, available resources and best-practice treatments is considered the best means of assistance for caregivers.

For information or to reserve your space for “Recognizing Caregiver Stress,” please call or email Ms. Kermin today at 574-247-1866 or register online.