Unpaid family caregivers can find support and resources at free conference

Registration is now open for the 19th annual Washington County Family Caregiver Conference, which will take place throughout November in three cities and via Zoom this year. This conference is specifically for unpaid family and friend caregivers who are caring for an older adult or anyone with dementia. It’s also for grandparents and older relatives who are raising children. It is not intended for professional or paid caregivers.

The three in-person workshops will all start with a recorded video message from Karen Stobbe. Stobbe is the founder and chief purpose officer of In the Moment, a nonprofit organization helping improve the quality of life for people living and working in the world of dementia. Karen was working as an actress, director, writer and theater instructor when her father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. It was then that her life took on a new focus, combining her knowledge of two worlds into her life’s work.

Lunch will be provided at the in-person workshops.

Sherwood workshop: Wednesday, November 2, from 1:30-4 p.m. at Sherwood Police Department, Community Room, 20495 SW Borchers Drive. Celebrate the Ordinary: Finding the Joy In Caregiving will be presented by Scott M. Rose, an author and current support group facilitator. Mr. Rose was a caregiver for his wife Maureen, who died in 2019 from complications of frontotemporal degeneration, the most common type of dementia for adults younger than 60. (Scott and Maureen are pictured above near article title.)

Hillsboro workshop: Thursday, November 10, from 12:30-3 p.m. at Washington Street Conference Center, 102 SW Washington Street. Communicating with Care in Stressful Situations will be presented by Carley Adams and Amy Watts-Padilla. Both are with the Center for Mediation and Dialogue with the City of Beaverton and have over 14 years combined experience providing training and mediation to our community.

Beaverton workshop: Friday, November 18, from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at Beaverton City Library, Room A/B, 12375 SW 5th Street. An Unforgettable Journey: Navigating the Experience of Caring for a Person with Dementia, presented by Shoshawna Rainwater, LCSW. Rainwater has over 20 years of experience working as a clinical social worker in palliative care and private practice dedicated to supporting the needs of families caring for a person living with dementia.

There will also be a virtual workshop held via Zoom for those who can’t attend in person. It will take place on Saturday, November 5, from 10-11:30 a.m. Intimacy, Grief and Caregiving will be presented by Amber Lynch, LCSW, a caregiver support social worker at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

In addition, a resource fair will be held at the Beaverton City Library on Saturday, November 12, from 12:30-3 p.m. Learn about community supports for family caregivers including training, respite options, day programs, support groups, Medicaid, in-home care and more.

Registration for any of the four workshops is required by calling 503-846-3089 or by sending an email to [email protected]. A staff member will follow up to get more information. More details on the conference workshops are available at https://www.washingtoncountyor.gov/davs/family-caregiver-conference.

The Family Caregiver Support Program is part of Washington County Disability, Aging and Veteran Services, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services.