Annual family caregiver conference goes virtual this year

For Immediate Release: Monday, October 12, 2020

Just like every other conference this fall, Washington County’s Family Caregiver Conference will take place virtually for health and safety reasons. Instead of a one-day conference like the past 16 years, the Heart, Humor and Hope Family Caregiver Virtual Learning Series will be offered in separate workshops over several weeks in November, which is National Family Caregivers Month.

“Of course, we are disappointed we can’t hold our traditional in-person conference this year,” said Shannon Baggerman, program coordinator with the Washington County Disability, Aging and Veteran Services Family Caregiving Program. “However, we hope this year’s format might allow caregivers who normally wouldn’t be able to spare an entire day to benefit from attending some of the workshops.”

The workshops are intended for unpaid family and friend caregivers. The sessions will take place over Zoom. The topics, languages, dates and times are:

• The Dementia Dance: Taking care of you and your care partner during COVID-19
  Tuesday, November 3, 12:30-2 p.m. (English)

• Family Caregivers’ Challenges and Coping Strategies: Keeping silent can hurt the relationship and delay recovery
  Thursday, November 5, 10-11:30 a.m. (Vietnamese), 1-2:30 p.m. (Cantonese), 3-4:30 p.m. (Korean)

• Tips for Tough Conversations: Family communication, needing help at home, driving concerns
  Tuesday, November 10, 2-3:30 p.m. (English)

• Developing Emotional Intelligence: The path to effective communication
  Thursday, November 12, 10-11:30 a.m. (Spanish)

• Honoring Your Loved One
  Tuesday, November 17, 2-3:30 p.m. (English)

• What’s So Funny: The importance of humor in caregiving
  Thursday, November 19, 10-11:30 a.m. (English)

• Creative Engagement at Home
  Tuesday, November 24, 2-3:30 p.m. (English)

All workshops are free. Registration is required. Visit www.co.washington.or.us/HHS/DAVS to register or call 503-846-3090 for more information.

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