Connecticut - Grants and Reimbursements

Russell Library Wraps Successful Grant Project

2009-10-30T15:02:18Z

The Russell Library provided lunch and cookies for attendees to its Midday Listen and Learn program on a rainy Wednesday in late October. The event also served to wrap up the library’s successful, six-month Family Caregivers grant project.

The personable Bob Carlson, who coordinated the Caregivers grant for Russell, covered a range of topics in his remarks about its efforts on behalf of family caregivers, including mentioning how it complemented the library’s existing computer training classes. Grant programs also helped people deal with stressful family caregiving issues like health literacy concerns, finding respite care, and finding emotional support through the constant grind of caring for family members while working. Because he speaks from experience, Carlson understands the tight schedules of family caregivers, and his comments that things like medical bills, Medicare, Medicaid, and insurance companies “will turn your hair gray,” carried extra weight with attendees.

Besides thoughtfully providing pens and packets of information, Carlson also handed out candy (Smartees and Milk Duds) to attendees.
11x4.25 handout explained the program in both Spanish and English, and the demonstration of theFamily Caregiving 101 site cited statistics, and covered common issues like caregiver stress, long term care, navigating the health care system, and communicating with health insurance companies. The presentation also covered related sites such as those of the CT Department of Public Health, cancer.org, and the National Library of Medicine.

Cathy Pisarz and Bob Carlson

The program also featured Cathy Pisarz, Senior Harbor Director of The Village at South Farms, a senior living community in town. Pisarz presented on the senior issues she sees at her facility, which recently expanded from 28 to 43 residents. Pisarz spent time discussing dementia, of which there are 111 different kinds with Alzheimers being the most prevalent. The condition affects people in different ways. The Village helps residents retain a measure of dignity, choice, and control in their daily lives; each has an individualized care plan with a special emphasis on nutrition and hydration as well as maintaining existing skill sets. Activities at The Village go all day, every day, from 9:30AM to 7 PM. Pisarz also runs a monthly Alzheimer’s Community Caregivers Support Group that is free and open to the public (1st Tuesday of every month @ 3PM). Another Village staffer, Annette White, briefly presented on the program’s more traditional services where residents range from totally independent to needing quite a bit of assisted living services.

Carlson feels that Russell’s popular Lunch and Learn programs will be a good avenue to follow through with more detail on other family caregiving topics important, like Medicaid.

Final Report Form

2009-10-26T13:39:21Z

The final report form for the project is located at http://ct.webjunction.org/ct/grants/-/articles/content/50985991.

It's also attached here

10/22 webinar: Economic Downturn's Impact on Family Caregivers

2009-10-19T13:40:26Z

October 22 Webinar: Economic Downturn's Impact on Family Caregivers

The next NCOA/IlluminAge Healthy Aging Briefing Series webinar features our own Gail Hunt, President and CEO of The National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC).

It is scheduled for Thursday, October 22, from 1:30 to 2:20 p.m. Eastern Time.

For over a decade, the NAC has had as part of its core mission research on caregiving and family caregivers: who's providing care; what challenges do they face; what trends are emerging that the wider aging services and caregiver support network needs to be aware of.

In this especially timely presentation, Gail Hunt will report on The National Alliance for Caregiving's recent survey, Economic Downturn and Its Impact on Family Caregiving.

If your organization serves family caregivers, this is a unique opportunity to participate in a briefing covering current research findings. You'll also have an opportunity to ask questions and participate in an exchange of views on what the survey data indicate and what today's economic realities mean for community-based caregiver support programs.

Register here: This webinar is free to IlluminAge clients and friends. Attendance is first come, first served. Sign up online.

Looking ahead to next month, on November 19, 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time, the presenter will be Cynthia R. Green, Ph.D, President of Memory Arts, LLC who will speak on community programs and best practices in promoting brain health.

Brainerd - the story so far

2009-08-18T19:12:09Z

As of late July, this is what's happening at the Brainerd Memorial Library in Haddam.

The library has received the computers that are to be used to teach patrons about how to find information for Family Caregivers on the Internet during September and October.

Maria Tomasetti of the CT Alzheimer's Association has been scheduled to speak on Brain Power on August 27th.

The four information sessions have been scheduled:
• Tuesday, September 15
• Wednesday, September 30
• Saturday, October 3
• Thursday, October 15.

The library is also sending letters about the programs to local churches, the Senior Center and Haddam Killingworth Youth and Family Services as well putting as notices in the local papers.

Russell Library rolls out class schedule

2009-08-18T19:06:39Z

For those of you interested in what the Russell Library in Middletown is up to, they've announced the class schedule following a well attended Family Caregivers Forum on August 3rd.

*****

Family caregivers now have an opportunity to learn how to access and research information on the web through familycaregiving101.org. The class is FREE and instructions on basic computer use will be included.

To accommodate our patrons, we are offering the same class on several days and times.

August 31 10 – noon
September 1 Noon – 2:00 6:15 – 8:15
September 17 10:00 – noon Noon – 2:00 6:15 – 8:15
October 17 10:00 – noon Noon – 2:00 2:00 – 4:00

Please call 347-2520 to register.

If you need accommodations for a disability, please call (860) 347-2520

Funded by the National Family Caregivers Association and the National Alliance for Caregiving with funds provided by Eisai Corporation.

Voluntown - the story so far

2009-07-28T17:56:12Z

As of late August, Voluntown has received laptops and a digital projector and is securing wireless access and Deb is planning a live demo informational meeting in late August.

Outreach efforts to date include:
• Deb spoke about the website and program at a recent meeting.
o Plans are to provide a S.A.N.I.T.Y. support group at a nearby church as well as at the library.
• Linked to FC101 off the new library website at http://voluntown.gov/.
• Distributing handouts to patrons as their caregiving needs become clear.
• Brought information to the town hall for the local seniors contact can pass it out.
• Links to the new library website and the familycaregiving101 on the library’s Facebook.
• The last issue of the http://voluntown.gov/site/files/fofnl0708_09.pdf]Focus on Friends newsletter contained information about winning the grant and a description of the services.
• Word of mouth promotion.
• One local resident referred to the S.A.N.I.T.Y. program (currently participating in the online support group).
• A panel discussion for September 22 at 6:30PM featuring a nurse and former hospice worker

Uconn Health Center resources

2009-08-18T18:55:03Z

Deb from Voluntown alerted me to the resources available from the Uconn Health Center. She had communicated with Judith Kronick, Reference Librarian there (kronick@uchc.edu) who passed along a LOT of information. Thanks to Deb and Judy!

* * * * *
Medical librarians on the staff of Healthnet: Connecticut Consumer Health Information Network, a program of the University of Connecticut Health Center Library, provide a free, customized research service using the medical library’s print and online resources. The phone number for CT residents initiating reference questions about their health concerns is 860/679-4055.

Details at the web site.

Healthnet serves as a back-up medical reference service for public librarians in Connecticut. Feel free to call us with any challenging consumer health questions you receive. We can guide you to resources or research the questions on your behalf.

The web page includes links to recommended health websites and resource guides on topics such as Caregiving, Growing Older, Navigating the Health Care System, and Patient Advocacy.

There are also resources on our website especially for librarians...a newsletter, a recommended health books list, etc.

Another great link for Connecticut Caregivers

2009-08-12T17:58:02Z

Judy Kroncik from U Conn Health Center Library contacted me recently with some great information that we can add to our compilation of Caregiving sources. At this point, I am talking it up, and helping patrons with family caregiving needs nearly on a daily basis.

The caregiving link at the UConn Health Center is http://library.uchc.edu/departm/hnet/caregiver.html.

Check out the rest of the health resources at UConn Health Center library. Excellent local resource.

Deborah Fleet
Library Director
Voluntown Library

Results, success stories, best practices

2009-07-27T19:27:55Z

Lucille Morisse, a geriatric social worker, moderates the monthly meeting of the Family Caregiver Support group at the Marilyn Michaelson Senior Center of Bloomfield. During meetings, the patient and knowledgeable Lucille draws out the concerns and issues of folks who spend a lot of their time caring for others - usually older relatives – and advises them on possibilities that might help them resolve issues.

Aging, she explains to one attendee concerned about her husband, is a process that can be full of many kinds of losses. As we age, we lose mobility, memory, direction, speech, even the ability to metabolize food.

One sunny day in mid-July Lucille spent the early part of the afternoon advising attendees on a range of things, from the need for nightlights to information about day care for an attendee whose husband has the early stages of Alzheimer’s.

Mara Whitman, librarian at the Wintonbury Branch of the Prosser Public library, was Lucille’s reason for being there that day. Mara applied for and was awarded a grant from the Family Caregiving 101 web site with funding provided by the National Family Caregivers Association and the National Alliance for Caregiving. Part of her activity so far has been to sponsor the support group.

While Lucille and Mara brainstorm about day care possibilities for their charge, they discuss the differences between the programs: pros and cons like the level of care and cost. Though their attempts to telephone the different locations for answers meet with mixed results, the woman seems touched by their willingness to help.

This woman came away with a better general understanding and also some information about state programs that might help her to pay for it, and it seems like she needed it. Tears and upset are familiar to Lucille when she helps folks deal with these life-shaking issues. For example, Lucille advised a woman not to argue with her husband about his misconceptions but to instead firmly and gently repeat information.

Mara offers some books, such as Medicaid and Nursing Home Costs, to the woman, and offers to meet with her before the next support group meeting.

Concerning the intersection of social work and librarianship, Mara seems grateful to be able to help people in a deeper way. “How can libraries do this without other professionals and caregivers?” she wonders, adding that “I feel like I need Lucille there. There’s no way to do this without her.” The expertise of social workers and the libraries’ ability to reach people seems a good match.

After the meeting, the learning continues for Mara and Lucille, who discover that meetings are best held on the half-hour (not the hour) due to the bus schedule. They also hammer out the dates, times, and content of the next couple of meetings so that these can be included in the Senior Center’s newsletter, a print publication that reaches hundreds of people in the target population each month.

This Family Caregivers event was covered in The Journal (serving Bloomfield, Blue Hills, Windsor, Windsor Locks, & East Granby) on July 10, 2009. ‘Senior Center, Prosser to Host ‘Caregiver’ Talks.’ Mara’s next meeting is scheduled for August 17, and on September 15 she has coordinated a Caregiver Support Panel Discussion to include herself, Lucille, an APRN ,and a representative from an assisted living community.

Mara works to help a patron

Mara Whitman (left) and Lucille Morisse

Slides from the June 2 training

2009-06-29T20:31:27Z

Hi folks.

See here for the slides from the training on June 2.

thanks to Suzanne Mintz for sending them along.

Doug

A few sites/resources mentioned in training

2009-06-29T16:35:37Z

Petition for the National Family Caregivers stamp

Nord for rare diseases.

Patient advocate foundation

Medicare.gov on caregivers

Connecting Family Caregivers 101 information

2009-06-29T16:23:33Z

Here is contact information for each of the players in the project.

Grantees:

Mara Whitman
marawhitman@hotmail.com
Wintonbury Branch Library
1015 Blue Hills Avenue
Bloomfield, CT 06002
860-242-41

Bob Carlson
rcarlson@russell.lioninc.org
Russell Library
123 Broad Street
Middletown, CT 06457
860-347-2528

Deborah Fleet
vltnlib@yahoo.com
Voluntown Public Library
107 Main Street
Voluntown, CT 06384
860-376-485

Cindy Muhlbach
cmuhlbach@ brainerdlibrary.lioninc.org
Brainerd Memorial Library
920 Saybrook Road
Haddam, CT 06438
860 345-2204

Grantors:

Suzanne Mintz
President/Cofounder
National Family Caregivers Association
10400 Connecticut Ave, Ste. 500
Kensington, MD 20895
301-942-6430
Suzanne.mintz@thefamilycaregiver.org

Gail Hunt
President/CEO
National Alliance for Caregiving
4720 Montgomery Lane, 5th Floor
Bethesda, MD 20814
unknown
unknown

Materials on the way

2009-06-29T16:20:25Z

Hi FC101ers,

I sorted and sent via Ccar a heavy box for each of you. It contains the propaganda about FC101 - notepads, posters, plastic bags, and posters. Classy stuff, I hope it comes in handy for you.

Contact information for Connecting Family Caregivers players

2009-06-08T20:01:08Z

Grantee contact information:

Mara Whitman
marawhitman@hotmail.com
Wintonbury Branch Library
1015 Blue Hills Avenue
Bloomfield, CT 06002
860-242-0041

Bob Carlson
rcarlson@russell.lioninc.org
Russell Library
123 Broad Street
Middletown, CT 06457
860-347-2528

Deborah Fleet
vltnlib@yahoo.com
Voluntown Public Library
107 Main Street
Voluntown, CT 06384
860-376-485

Cindy Muhlbach 920 Saybrook Road
cmuhlbach@ brainerdlibrary.lioninc.org
Brainerd Memorial Library
920 Saybrook Road
Haddam, CT 06438
860 345-2204

Grantor contact information:

Suzanne Mintz
President/Cofounder
National Family Caregivers Association
10400 Connecticut Ave, Ste. 500
Kensington, MD 20895
301-942-6430
Suzanne.mintz@thefamilycaregiver.org

Gail Hunt
President/CEO
National Alliance for Caregiving
4720 Montgomery Lane, 5th Floor
Bethesda, MD 20814

Consultant:
Yolanda Cuesta
yjcuesta@mindspring.com
MultiCultural Consulting
6648 Lake Park Drive
Sacramento, CA 95831
916-395-1688 bs and fax

web sites

2009-06-08T20:11:54Z

Here are some of the web sites that were mentioned in training that I do not think were included in the packets:

Feel free to add your own to the groups!

Petition for the National Family Caregivers stamp at http://www.thefamilycaregiver.org/caregiverpetition/caregiverpetition.cfm

National Organization for Rare Disorders at http://www.rarediseases.org/

Patient Advocate Foundation at http://www.patientadvocate.org/

Medicare.gov on caregivers at http://www.medicare.gov/caregivers/get_financial_help.asp

The 5 Connecticut Area Agencies on Aging

2009-06-08T19:58:05Z

The 5 Connecticut Area Agencies on Aging are as follows:

Connecticut has five Area Agencies on Aging (AAA's) that channel federal funding to individuals and organizations. Simply knowing where they are in the state and who the players are can help libraries keep abreast of developments in the area of older adults and funding opportunities.

The Southwestern CT Agency on Aging (AoA) (SWCAA).
Senior Resources Eastern CT AoA
Agency on Aging of South Central CT (SCCAA)
The Western CT AoA
The North Central AoA (NCAAA)

The national site is here.

Resources

2009-06-08T19:57:34Z

I was thinking that we could use a thread for a library of useful information and sites? What do you think?

Welcome: Connecting Family Caregivers

2009-06-08T19:42:24Z

Hi Family Caregivers folk!

Here is our new virtual area.

Here is the information on becoming a member.

Directions on monitoring and contributing to this forum are in the User Guide.

If you need help please feel free to contact me.

Douglas C. Lord
Division of Library Development
Connecticut State Library
Middletown Library Service Center
786 South Main Street
Middletown, CT 06457
1-800-437-2313 (in CT only)
860-704-2204
dlord@cslib.org