This Caregiver program has been developed for informal caregivers (relatives and friends of the person with a deficit in cognitive decline), who would have little or no knowledge of cognitive disability theory, or how functional cognition can impact on the lives of those they care for and need to assist.

This program is based on the following books written by Delaune Pollard including "Caregivers: Drowning in a Sea of Cognitive Challenges","Empowering Caregivers: Relevant Lifestyle Profiles", 2nd Edition, and 'Midlife's Challenge: Understanding and Coping with Decline in Thinking and Behaviour'. This program runs for period of five hours, with a lunch break between sessions and a possible further three hours the following day, taking in a lunch break.  These program are currently being run by Carers Queensland, please go to 'Links' in the Relevant Information section in the Main Menu.

Program Description

The range of stressors which caregivers experience is all encompassing. These stressors are those that place an unavoidable hidden drain (emotionally, physically and financially) upon those who take on the responsibility for assisting others. Caring assumes even greater proportions when healthcare clinicians or family members believe, because of misguided thinking, that because those being assisted are verbally adept, they are equally adept at looking after themselves on a daily basis. Empowering caregivers with knowledge, realistic expectations and the ability to cope with strategies provides them with a greater sense of self-efficacy, which will, very importantly, help to lighten their burdens of responsibility.

Following the completion of the Caregiver Program, participants will have a greater understanding of why they have been so stressed when trying to help the one they have been caring for to do basic daily life activities. It can be a tremendous relief for informal caregivers when they understand that it not their inability to get their message across, but the inability of the one they are caring for to comprehend what they are asking them to do. Also, they will have a greater understanding of how to deal with the challenges involved in coping with decline in thinking and behaviour of those they are assisting, and will begin to give some thought to their own future needs.

Caregiver Training in 2009:
Half Day Workshops for Carers (Caregivers)
"Understanding & working with decline in Brain Function"

This Caregivers workshop answers many of the day to day “why questions” about decline in thought & behaviour. The workshop provides information and strategies to help Caregivers

• By explaining what is happening in the brain of a person with cognitive loss;

  

• By showing that decline in brain function producers observable patterns in performance;
• By outlining the ways in which coping with emotional and physical behaviours, impacts on stress levels in the carer;
• By providing ideas that will enable carers to set up the home environment in order to preserve their own physiological and psychological health;

These six hour caregiver training workshops have been successfully run in conjunction with Carers Queensland (Carers Qld) throughout the rural areas of Qld including Ipswich, Toowoomba, Gatton, Warwick, Roma, Charleville, Rockhampton, Gladstone, Mt Isa, Cloncurry, Hughenden, Ingham, Townsville, Mossman, Herberton, Innisfail, Mackay and a very successful revisit caregiver training was hosted by Carers Queensland, Ipswich Office. Queensland is a huge area to cover and it was exciting to be able to take the program to so many people across the state.

The program was started in 2007 and was held in the South East corner of Queensland for groups of caregivers from the Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast regions. In this time the program was shaped by family caregivers who kept suggesting more input with the final result becoming a highly informative PowerPoint presentation.

The final caregiver training for the end of the Australian 2009 financial year was held in Mackay. With the support of Carers Queensland staff members based in Mackay it proved to be a highly successful and enjoyable experience for family caregivers. 80% of caregivers voted the day as excellent and 20% voted the day as a good. Everyone was given the opportunity to participate. Even participants with strong introverted personality traits were encouraged to ask questions, which they did.

Further federal government funding is being sort to take this program into other country areas to allow a wider participation of people living in isolated areas, including indigenous populations.

For further information on any of these training programs and to purchase any of the publications, please use the "Contact Us" button, which is situated on the menu of this website.