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TeleClass a Valuable Resource for Caregivers During November's National Family Caregivers Month
Home Instead Senior Care, the largest home caregiving company in the world, is partnering with the National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA), a family caregiving advocacy group, to celebrate NFCA's 15th anniversary.
As part of the anniversary celebration, NFCA is offering a free TeleClass for family caregivers on Thursday, November 6 and 13 at 2 p.m. ET, which Home Instead Senior Care will be promoting throughout their franchise network.
The free classes will teach family caregivers how to improve their communication with healthcare professionals and to become better advocates for themselves and their loved ones. The Communicating Effectively with Healthcare Professionals program will be a two-part one-hour class, conducted by phone and Internet.
All that is needed to participate will be to call a toll-free phone number. For family caregivers who wish to follow along on the computer, there will be a corresponding PowerPoint presentation. For registration and more information on the free national TeleClass on November 6 and 13, visit www.thefamilycaregiver.org or call 1-800-896-3650.
"Family caregivers are the unsung heroes who invest their heart and soul for their senior loved ones with no compensation or material reward," said Suzanne Mintz, founder of the National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA). "These family caregivers often don't have the resources they need to help them advocate for themselves and their loved ones," said Home Instead Senior Care Co-Founder and CEO Paul Hogan. "That's why we believe that these classes will be a real benefit to family caregivers."
The NFCA represents the nation's 50 million family caregivers or approximately 17 percent of the national population. The nonprofit organization is dedicated to empowering family caregivers to act on behalf of themselves and their loved ones, and to remove barriers to their health and well-being.
Home Instead Senior Care is the largest provider of non-medical care to older adults with more than 800 franchises in 15 countries. The company's CAREGivers help keep seniors independent for as long as possible at home or in care communities by providing such services as companionship, meal preparation, light housekeeping, medication reminders, errands and shopping.
"At some point, each of us is likely to be a family caregiver" or need one," Mintz said. "And at the point when family caregivers need a little extra help, Home Instead Senior Care steps in to assist older adults or serve as a respite for weary family caregivers," Hogan added.