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Greetings,
We hope you're having a great summer. Below you'll
find articles about a new online support group, MVES'
Caregiver Support Coordinator, planned giving, recent
legislative
news, and the new "Do Not Call" list. As always, your
comments are
welcome!
Thanks.
| Behind the Scenes--Caregiver Support Coordinator |
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MVES' Caregiver Support Coordinator Kathy Learned is
featured in this month's Behind the Scenes article. As
the Caregiver Support Coordinator, Kathy spearheads a
wide range of efforts--all aimed at helping caregivers in
need. Read about Kathy's role in helping the MVES
community.
Editor: What do you do as a Caregiver Support
Coordinator?
K. Learned: My primary responsibility is to help
caregivers--caregivers who are struggling--handle the
numerous challenges that they face. I do this in several
ways. I act as a resource to caregivers during home
visits and phone consultations. I assess caregiver
needs by visiting caregivers at their homes and seeing
firsthand the challenges they face. Utilizing funding
from grants, I develop new programs such as
the "Saturday Night Out at the Medford Community
Family," which help provide support for caregivers. I
also serve as an educational and training resource for
caregivers, implementing programs such as the
Alzheimer's support group for spouses (every other
Wednesday), Mental Health Discussions with Dr. Patel
(fourth Wednesday of every month), and the Caregiver
Support Study (starting in August).
Read on... »
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| Caregiver Support Goes Online |
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Caregivers are extraordinary givers. They give their
time, attention, and energy to a family member or
client in need. The act of caregiving, while rewarding,
can also prove to be difficult and, in some cases,
overwhelming. Not only is a caregiver responsible for his
or her own well being, but also the care of someone
else.
A caregiver's long hours and complex responsibilities
may conspire to cause anxiety. Often they are isolated
from others because their responsibilities preclude
socialization. These realities make it important for
caregivers to reach out for support for themselves.
To assist caregivers, MVES has started a caregiver
support group online. Each Tuesday from 10 to 11 a.m.
a caregiver support specialist will facilitate a discussion
via the Internet. Participants enter a chat-like area on
the MVES site and may ask questions about caregiving
or offer suggestions to the group. Group members can
remain anonymous and are asked only to give a
username. Members can join the discussion at any time
during the hour and need not stay for the entire
duration. Convenience for the caregiver is the foremost
attribute of the online support group.
Read more... »
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| Making a Lasting Gift |
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There is a special way you can establish a legacy and
support important initiatives at Mystic Valley Elder
Services (MVES). By including MVES in your plans, your
gift of property or funds will be a lasting tribute to
yourself and our services. Planned gifts often enable a
donor to provide significant and meaningful financial
support for an area of interest above and beyond what
is possible through a current gift. Such gifts are
essential to the long-term future of MVES and are
welcomed along with annual gifts. Planned gifts can be
designated for a particular program or can remain
unrestricted, allowing MVES to apply the money to
programs most in need.
Read more... »
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| New "Do Not Call" List |
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If you're looking for a way to cut down on the number
of those annoying, unwanted telephone calls you get
from sellers, the federal government is now enrolling
households in the new "Do Not Call" Registry. It costs
nothing to join-and if you do, the number of unwanted
calls you receive will drop dramatically. You can sign up
for the Do Not Call list by calling toll-free (888) 382-
1222, or you can join over the Internet by going to
www.donotcall.gov. If you register by phone, you
must
call from the telephone line you wish to register.
Beginning this September, telemarketers will have to
check the Registry. If your phone number is on the list,
the telemarketing companies will be on notice that you
do not want their calls. Companies must drop all
Registry numbers from their call lists. If a telemarketer
calls a number on the Registry, they can be fined up to
$11,000 for each call. Your number will stay on the
Registry for five years, after which you will have to
renew.
Read more... »
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| Help from the House |
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Home care advocates were startled when Governor
Romney vetoed $2.4 million from home care upon
receiving the budget several weeks ago. That veto
would have prevented 866 disabled elders from
receiving home services for an entire year. However,
the House of Representatives, spurred by calls and
e-mails from concerned advocates, voted 151-0 to
restore the funds.
The House vote was unusually symbolic because it
also marked the maiden speech of freshman lawmaker
Rep. Barbara L'Italien (D-Andover). L'Italien once
worked as a home care case manager, and is one of a
few lawmakers who have directly worked in the elderly
home care field.
"I am a mother of four young children," L'Italien said on
the floor of the House, "and have been doing that for
the last ten years. I was a home care worker prior to
that. I understand this topic quite well. We have an
opportunity to buy independence for some of our
seniors. We need to understand what these dollars
mean to seniors. We can maintain elders in their
community, which is what they want. They want
choice."
Read more...
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