Here is the video of my lesson presentation at our class. Sorry it has a "watermark" on it--I used a free video editor to cut it down to 10 minutes. I had trouble uploading it directly; I think there is some kind of bug in it because I was able to upload other videos I had.
Click here for Strategy Presentation Video.
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Review of HRSA Podcast “Caregivers Count! Support for Women & Families with Special Needs Children”
While looking for caregiver wellness information recently, I ran across a 2009 podcast of a webinar given by the Maternal and Child Health division of the Health Resources and Services Administration, a federal agency. The webinar includes commentary by three women who have both professional and personal experience in caring for children with special health care needs (CSHCN). The webinar, "Caregivers Count! Support for Women & Families with Special Needs Children," is chock-full of good information for caregiver self-care and wellness, so I wanted to share some of those ideas with you. If you are interested in more details, you can access the podcast and the transcript here.
Jan Moss, director of Community Leadership and Advocacy and mother of two adult CSHCN, calls parenting a disabled child “extreme parenting” because there is no written job description and you deal with whatever comes day-by-day.
However, Luwenn Jones, consultant and mother of two CSHCN, says she thinks of parenting her children as either a job or a marathon. She notes that employees are more effective and efficient if they “get adequate rest, scheduled breaks for physical and mental relaxation, vacation time, proper training, and peer support.” She also comments that marathon runners must pace themselves, get training, build a support team, take rest days after days of intense activity, and have proper equipment in order to maintain their body. Jones says that caregivers must do these things, too, in order to perform their best and continue to contribute.
Rosemary Johann-Liang, a physician and mother of two CSHCN, talks about the need for caretakers to “keep the tank filled” by making various self-care activities a priority. She recommends making time for filling spiritual and psychological needs, daily personal/quiet time, weekly time with friends, physical renewal, and emotional renewal. All three speakers underlined the need to ask for help and to delegate. Johann-Liang says she has cultivated a “Team 1” instead of trying to be the “Lone Ranger.”
The speakers suggested delegating daily tasks to someone like a friend, neighbor, or an older child in order to relieve daily stresses. They emphasized the need to be specific about what you need. They recommended asking for help from groups that do volunteer groups such as faith-based groups, community groups, or youth groups. And the speakers also strongly urged caregivers to seek respite through special programs or by trading with another family.
Finally, both Jones and Moss recommend using Internet resources online support groups to connect with other parents of CSHCN and to find information. Some of the websites they recommend include Family to Family Network and Family Voices.
Jan Moss, director of Community Leadership and Advocacy and mother of two adult CSHCN, calls parenting a disabled child “extreme parenting” because there is no written job description and you deal with whatever comes day-by-day.
However, Luwenn Jones, consultant and mother of two CSHCN, says she thinks of parenting her children as either a job or a marathon. She notes that employees are more effective and efficient if they “get adequate rest, scheduled breaks for physical and mental relaxation, vacation time, proper training, and peer support.” She also comments that marathon runners must pace themselves, get training, build a support team, take rest days after days of intense activity, and have proper equipment in order to maintain their body. Jones says that caregivers must do these things, too, in order to perform their best and continue to contribute.
Rosemary Johann-Liang, a physician and mother of two CSHCN, talks about the need for caretakers to “keep the tank filled” by making various self-care activities a priority. She recommends making time for filling spiritual and psychological needs, daily personal/quiet time, weekly time with friends, physical renewal, and emotional renewal. All three speakers underlined the need to ask for help and to delegate. Johann-Liang says she has cultivated a “Team 1” instead of trying to be the “Lone Ranger.”
The speakers suggested delegating daily tasks to someone like a friend, neighbor, or an older child in order to relieve daily stresses. They emphasized the need to be specific about what you need. They recommended asking for help from groups that do volunteer groups such as faith-based groups, community groups, or youth groups. And the speakers also strongly urged caregivers to seek respite through special programs or by trading with another family.
Finally, both Jones and Moss recommend using Internet resources online support groups to connect with other parents of CSHCN and to find information. Some of the websites they recommend include Family to Family Network and Family Voices.
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