BRIDGEPORT, W. Va. — The course load for students at “Consumer University: Caregiver Connection” taught how to care for loved ones as they age.
The free educational seminar held Thursday at the Bridgeport Conference Center was put together by AARP West Virginia, the Alzheimer’s Association — West Virginia Chapter and the Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute.
Presentations from the hosts, as well as from the West Virginia Bureau of Senior Services, West Virginia Senior Legal Aid and the West Virginia Center for End of Life Care educated participants on the necessary topics when caring for a loved one.
“Safety and preparedness for taking care of someone in their own home, we’re also talking about the legal and financial considerations that people need to be aware of, advanced directives,” Gaylene Miller, AARP West Virginia State Director said. “The folks are getting a ton of information they need to help them when they need help the most.”
The organizations wanted to make the seminar available and at no cost to those who registered after learning more about the number of caregivers in the state.
“One in six West Virginians is taking care of a family member and that equates out to about to 300,000 West Virginians,” Miller said. “It’s about $2.5 billion worth of unpaid care. Obviously our state couldn’t afford that and so we want to make sure that those caregivers can continue to do what their doing for their loved ones.”
Though the event was free, organizers had to set a limit for participants based on the conference center’s capacity and their own budget. Miller said they filled the available spaces for Thursday up quickly and saw similar success at a similar event in Morgantown back in May, reinforcing the need for information regarding the care of loved ones in the state.
“Care giving and supporting family caregivers will be a priority of the AARP West Virginia State Office moving into 2015,” Miller said. “Folks should plan to see more events like this across the state.”
Thursday’s seminar coincides with a recent campaign for caregiver education by the AARP across the country called “I Heart Caregivers.” The movement received an extra push in November.
“November is ‘National Caregiver’s Month’ and AARP launched a new website that, again, has the resources that folks need and they can share their story online ast well,” Miller said. “It’s nice to know they’re not alone in this process.
Miller encourages those seeking more information on being a caregiver to visit aarp.org/iheartcaregivers or the state’s website aarp.org/wv.