PRESS RELEASE:

On Monday, May 19, the Five-County Association of Governments will host a caregiver forum in recognition of National Older Americans Month. "We know that many of the caregivers we work with are caring for individuals over the age of 60, and we want to support these caregivers by giving them the tools they need to help the seniors they are caring for, as well as themselves," said Carrie Schonlaw, Aging Program manager for the Five-County AAA (Area Agencies on Aging).

The forum, a collaboration between KUED-Channel 7 and Utah Area Agencies on Aging, is part of the outreach initiative for the national PBS program "Caring for Your Parents." The forum will begin at 4 p.m. and will be held at the Five-County Association of Governments in the conference room, 1070 West 1600 South, Building B, in St. George, Utah. For more information, call Carrie Schonlaw at 435.673.3548. Those interested can visit www.kued.org/caregiving for more local resources and to request a free caregiver packet on how to be more proactive in caregiving. They also may call 801-585-LINK and leave a message with name, address and phone number to receive a packet.

This forum precedes a free half-day conference Hand In Hand:Utah Caregiving on June 14, at The Salt Lake City Library. Registration is available by visiting www.kued.org/caregiving or by calling 801-581-6163. Conference highlights include a keynote address by Elinor Ginzler, co-author of Caring for Your Parents: The Complete Guide. Three breakout sessions include: "The Paper Trail," which addresses the paperwork and planning associated with caregiving, such as living wills, advanced directives, Medicare and Social Security filing; "Caregiving 101," the day-to-day issues that arise, such as in-home nursing support, respite, agency support; and "Physician Forum," with experts in medical fields related to caregiving, physician, palliative care, pharmacist and nursing support.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to schedule an appointment with a social worker or pharmacist in a one-on-one, 20-minute session. The final panel of the day will provide attendees an opportunity to ask questions not already addressed at a panel moderated by keynote Elinor Ginzler. For further information, visit www.kued.org/caregiving

In addition to the Five-County forum and the Salt Lake conference, a companion web site under the KUED Health Matters Initiative will provide direction and information for the Utah community on issues related to caregiving, with links to partner organization web resources. Partners include the Utah Commission on Aging, AARP Utah, Salt Lake County Aging Services and the Utah Caregiver Support Program, The Salt Lake City Library. Sponsored in part by Parklane Apartments.