Blog archive
April 2024
Stimulated by "Caste"
04/22/2024
Tulsa reparations, Religion and Politics
04/09/2024
March 2024
Trumps War with Black Women
03/31/2024
Addressing The Needs of Older Adults Through Pasadena Village
03/25/2024
Coming Soon: More Resources for Older Americans, Online and in Person
03/25/2024
Community Building Locally and Nationally
03/25/2024
Preparing for the Future with Ready or Not
03/25/2024
Volunteering is at The Heart of the Village
03/25/2024
Women's Liberation: Then and Now
03/25/2024
Writing Memoirs Together
03/25/2024
Current Views on Current Events
03/20/2024
Unchained
03/18/2024
Rumr of Humor issue # 2409
03/10/2024
Blacks Portrayed by European Artists
03/03/2024
Rumor of Humor #2408
03/03/2024
February 2024
Caring for Ourselves and Each Other
02/27/2024
Doug Colliflower Honored
02/27/2024
Great Decisions Connects Us to the Worldwide Community
02/27/2024
Letter from the President
02/27/2024
Pasadena Village's Impact
02/27/2024
The Power of Touch
02/27/2024
Villages as a New Approach to Aging
02/27/2024
Addressing Gang Violence in Pasadena-Altadena
02/21/2024
Rumor of Humor Issue 2407
02/19/2024
Thank You For Caring.
02/12/2024
Rumor of Humor 2405
02/11/2024
Curve Balls
02/10/2024
Sylvan Lane
02/10/2024
Rumor of Humor 2404
02/09/2024
Larry Duplechan, Blacks in Film
02/03/2024
January 2024
Pasadena Village Joins Community Partners in Vaccination Campaign
01/29/2024
Rumor of Humor #2403
01/28/2024
Pasadena Village Joins Two Healthy Aging Resource Projects
01/25/2024
Decluttering: Do It Now
01/24/2024
Village Volunteers Contribute to the Huntington Magic
01/24/2024
Villagers Creating Community
01/24/2024
Villagers Reflect on Black History Month
01/24/2024
Walk With Ease, 2024
01/24/2024
Wide Ranging Discussion on Current Issues
01/22/2024
Wide Ranging Discussion on Current Issues
01/22/2024
Rumor of Humor # 2402
01/21/2024
Rumor of Humor # 2401
01/15/2024
Re- Entry Programs, a Personal Experience
01/08/2024
DEVELOPING A CAREGIVER SUPPORT GROUP
By Blog MasterPosted: 03/01/2021
Developing a Caregiver support group
In mid-February Village Movement California (VMC) presented the second in a series of workshops focused on caregiving. In the workshop Pasadena Village members Esther Gillies and Monica Hubbard described the development of the Pasadena Village Caregiver Support group. Charlotte Dickson, Executive Director of VMC, welcomed more than 50 participants from across the state to the program and explained that a Caregiver Support Group Toolkit will soon be available on the VMC website. The toolkit will support Village members throughout the state as they discern whether a Caregiver Support group might work in their Village.
Monica described the evolution of the Pasadena Caregiver Support Group, from its first meetings with a facilitator from the USC Family Caregiver Support Center to its current status as a member led support group for Pasadena Village members who are caring for a spouse or partner“24/7”. This group of 6 – 8 people meets twice a month with no outside facilitator. In describing the several phases of the group’s development, Monica emphasized that it is okay to try out and discard ideas until the right balance is found within the group.
Esther Gillies shared some of the common elements that make support for caregivers so important. In most cases by the time people are “of a certain age” they have been in their relationship with their spouse or partner for a long time. They have adopted well established roles – one person fixes the sprinklers, one person pays the bills, one person maintains the calendar. All of these roles are up-ended - sometimes gradually, and sometimes all at once when one person’s needs for care begin increasing. The caregiver begins taking on increasing responsibilities in unfamiliar territory, frequently with a steep learning curve. The caregiver can easily become overwhelmed with all of the demands, resulting in physical and emotional exhaustion.
Caregiver support groups provide a safe, supportive place to give voice to the struggle with the “stay strong” expectations from those who don’t understand what the caregiver is going through. Within the confines of the group the care giving partner can be totally honest and safely vent vulnerability, frustration, disappointment, and sometimes even rage. Esther and Monica both stressed that the road gets harder, and for those who like order it gets really hard because you feel stripped of control. Caregivers have to learn to go with the flow.
A Caregiver Support Group is an option for Villages, although it is still important to be aware of other supportive services in the community and to have a relationship with those organizations. Often there is a commonality in a Village so that members feel empowered to “co-create” their own support group. At Pasadena Village it is clear that providing support to the caregiver helps the Village be more open and welcoming to the care receiver as well.
Monica Hubbard admitted that when she and her husband, Tom, joined the Village 10 years ago “I didn’t really see the need for the Village. Tom and I were both retired but still very active in the community, with a large network of friends. Still, we joined, and we enjoyed the educational and social programs and making deeper connections with other members.” Now she is grateful to have a community where “we are wrapping our arms around each other.”
If you are interested in learning more about Pasadena Village, please check out our website Click here or call the office at 626-765-6037.
To watch the VMC video Click here.