Caregiver Academy Offers Support And Training For Family Caregivers

Chesapeake Life Center has launched a Caregiver Academy to offer emotional support, practical education and hands-on training to family caregivers throughout the community.

The program is open to all family caregivers, regardless of whether their loved ones receive services from Hospice of the Chesapeake.

“The counties we serve have some of the highest concentrations of dementia patients in Maryland,” said Josh Magariel, director of service excellence and community health at Hospice of the Chesapeake. “We’re responding to clear evidence of increased demand, and the Caregiver Academy is part of that response.”

Caregivers can participate in any or all of the academy’s three offerings, with no required sequence.

A free virtual caregiver support group meets on Zoom from 10:30-11:30 a.m. on the second Thursday of each month. Led by licensed clinical social worker Khiana Simmons, the group offers emotional support, stress management and opportunities to connect with other caregivers. Participants are welcome to listen without speaking. The next sessions will be held on November 12 and December 10.

The virtual caregiver education series meets on Zoom from 10:30-11:30 a.m. on the fourth Tuesday of each month. Clinical practice specialist for nursing Michelle Welle-Countiss leads sessions based on a 12-topic curriculum developed by Dr. Mary Lynn McPherson, executive director of graduate studies in palliative care at the University of Maryland, Baltimore.

Topics include communication, difficult behaviors, personal care, eating and swallowing, skin and wound care, mobility, falls and end-of-life changes. Each session provides an overview and practical instruction, allowing caregivers to join at any point.

Sessions are scheduled for November 24 and December 22.

For hands-on instruction, the academy offers Bedside Boot Camp, a four-hour workshop led by Welle-Countiss and Alena Dailey, manager of integrative arts and Chesapeake Life Center. Participants practice caregiving tasks such as transfers, bathing, incontinence care, feeding and positioning. The workshop also includes immersive empathy training.

Bedside Boot Camp will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday, November 9, in the Lovelace Learning Lab at the John & Cathy Belcher Campus in Pasadena.

Each workshop is limited to six participants. Registration is required, and a waitlist is available.

Family caregivers, healthcare professionals and community organizations can learn more or register by emailing caregiveracademy@chesapeakelifecenter.org.

Chesapeake Life Center, a program service of Hospice of the Chesapeake, provides bereavement services and activities for hospice families and community members grieving the loss of a loved one. For more information, visit www.chesapeakelifecenter.org.