| Caregiver Journey-Press Release |
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PRESS RELEASE WELL SPOUSE ASSOCIATION CREATES WORKSHOP
Contact: The Well Spouse Association Freehold, NJ June 8, 2007 ” The Well Spouse Association (WSA), a national, not for profit membership organization that supports wives, husbands, and partners of the chronically ill and/or disabled, has created a workshop entitled The Caregiver Journey. It was presented for the first time on May 19, 2007 by Barry Jacobs, Psy.D to an overwhelmingly positive group of family caregivers at the Second Annual œTaking Care of You Taking Care of Me Caregiver Conference at the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, NJ. One participant commented, œI have finally learned and accepted my role as a caregiver. This workshop seeks to educate caregivers, patients, healthcare providers and the public about caregiver support. It is available to disease and caregiver organizations for presentation at their annual or regional conferences. The Caregiver Journey: -- Addresses the emotional needs of the family caregiver -- Examines and discusses the caregiver experience as three stages: The Heroic Stage The Ambivalence Stage The New Normal -- The ultimate goals of The Caregiver Journey are: To prevent caregiver burnout and To explore how caregivers can obtain the support structure they need to deal with their caregiving life. Richard Anderson, the President of The Well Spouse Association said, œWe hope to reach spousal caregivers in particular, but our workshop will appeal to all caregivers, to let them know they are not alone and there is help. Anderson continues, œIt is the hope of the WSA that by meeting and talking with other caregivers who attend these workshops that they will experience the relief, support, and camaraderie felt by all WSA members. We want to give them the message that there are always options. |