Weekend seminar will give caregivers a break
Mar
17
Written by:
3/17/2008 4:00 PM
By Betty Berry
Monday, March 17, 2008
Q: I am a caregiver for my mom and also hold down a full-time job. I would like to attend seminars or a support group but find most of them on weekdays. Do you know of any group that offers anything on a weekend?
A: Yes, I do. The Alzheimer's Association is offering a half-day caregiver conference for Ventura County caregivers at the end of this month. It may be just what you are looking for.
This spring conference, "Caring For You, the Caregiver," is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 29 at the Camarillo Community Center at 1605 Burnley St., Camarillo.
This event, which is free, is designed to relax and re-energize caregivers as well as provide tools and knowledge to help sustain family caregivers through the caregiving experience.
This half-day session will include a continental breakfast, yoga, meditation and other workshops to help caregivers relax and renew themselves.
Then at lunch, Gail Rink, director of Santa Barbara Hospice, will present "Caregiving with Resiliency." At the conclusion of the conference, each family caregiver will receive a self-care bag courtesy of the day's sponsors.
While the conference is free, registration is a must. To make your reservation or for more information, call 485-5597.
While we are talking about caregiving, I would like to share some statistics with you that show how important caregiving has become. More than 50 million people provide care for a chronically ill, disabled or aged family member or friend during any given year.
About 60 percent of family caregivers are women. Thirty percent of family caregivers caring for seniors are themselves over the age of 65, and 17 percent of family caregivers provide 40 hours or more a week.
The Camarillo office of the Alzheimer's Association is now open on the first Saturday of every month from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in order to reach those caregivers who are not available during regular business hours.
It offers free and low-cost programs and services such as public education, respite for caregivers, material aids, support groups and library services. It also provides individual care consultations and family meetings.
This office is at 1339 Del Norte Road, Camarillo. The phone number is 485-5597 or visit them on the Web at http://www.centralcoastalz.org.
Q: My mother is moving to California from another state, and I am helping her with this move. I need to know what steps to take to make sure her Social Security benefits will be properly delivered.
A: Prompt notification of a change of address always helps make a smooth transition and notifying Social Security of a change is no different.
You didn't indicate whether your mother receives her Social Security benefits in check form or if she has selected the easy option of automatic deposit.
If she receives her benefits in check form, all she needs to do is notify Social Security of the new address. However, since it will take at least 30 days for the change to take effect, you want to make sure you provide the post office with her change of address information so that if a check is mailed to the former address, it can be forwarded to her new location.
To complete an address change for automatically deposited benefits you will need to do three things. First, your mother will need to open an account at a new financial institution. Next, make arrangements to have the benefits deposited in that new account. To do this, she must provide Social Security with the financial institution's routing information and her new account number.
The third and final step is most important. She must keep her current account open until the new account has been credited with a monthly deposit. If you close out the old account before the change of address transaction is completed, there won't be anywhere for the automatic deposit to be directed, and it will be returned to Social Security.
March happenings
"Whose Responsibility Is It? If Not Yours Then Whose?" presentation will take place from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Wednesday at Simi Valley Senior Center, 3900 Avenida Simi, Simi Valley. For more information or to make a reservation, call 583-6363.