February 2010 Newsletter

Elder Service Providers February Luncheon

Please join us for the February luncheon hosted by HInet and Shared Care Plan. The luncheon will be held at St. Luke’s Health Education Center 3333 Squalicum Pkwy. Bellingham on Wednesday, February 24, 2010 11:30 A.M. – 1:00 P.M.

Lori Nichols, Director of HInet and Shared Care Plan, will be providing information about how HInet and the Shared Care Plan Record Bank can assist your business and clients.

Lunch will be $11.00 and will include meat or veggie lasagna, bread, salad and a drink.

Please RSVP by February 17, 2017 and indicate your meal preference (meat or veggie).
Yana Johnston (360) 788-6885 or kjohnston@hinet.org

Annual Caregiver Conference

POPULAR CONFERENCE RETURNS FOR 15TH ANNUAL APPEARANCE
“Find the raven within”
An Array of Experts Will Help Caregivers Renew Their Knowledge and Nourish Their Spirit

This year’s conference will give tips and tools for preserving caregivers’ physical and mental health, for accessing community services and to meet other caregivers for socialization and mutual support. Noted Tlingit storyteller, Jim Thomas, will keynote the conference and inspired the conference title.  He will also be leading a breakout session entitled “Discovering Your Core Self.”

The many and exciting break-out sessions are designed to cater to the wide variety of caregiving situations:

• Update on Nutrition for Seniors – noted local expert, Shelly Zylstra, PhD
• Chasing the Gingerbread Man: Activity Programs – Mary Gould, dementia care assisted living administrator and certified dementia and mental health educator.
• Local Support Services – Debbie Gann, home care agency director, Alzheimer Society Vice-chair and 2009 “Professional Woman of the Year”
• Caring for Someone with Hearing Loss – Joel Bergsbaken, Program Coordinator for the North Sound office of the Hearing, Speech and Deafness Center
• Managing Depression in You – For Caregivers and Coping with Depression in Someone You Care For – Dr Henry Levine, psychiatrist, UW clinical faculty member, and Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.
• Experience Being Cared for Through Role Reversal – Stacie Owen, MSW, provider of educational seminars on disability topics for 20 years and disabled since the age of 10.
• Going Home: Everything You Wanted to Know but Were Afraid to Ask – Rosemary Lea, RN, BSN, Quality Improvement Consultant with Qualis Health, working with Stepping Stones, the Care Transitions Project of Whatcom County
• New and Innovative Ways to Modify Your Home – Maureen Kane, Supervisor of Senior Information and Assistance and Family Caregiver Support programs for Northwest Regional Council

The all-day event, which has a combined focus on celebration and education, will be held at St Luke’s Community Health Education Center 8am-4:30pm and costs $50 to the general public and $20 to nursing assistants, students, and family caregivers.

The Caregiver Conference was designed both to teach important skills and to bolster the spirits of all attendees.  Local organizations and facilities display informational booths and give away tokens of appreciation to attendees.  A delicious lunch is included in the registration fee and coveted door prizes are awarded at the end of the days events.

Open and print the conference flyer (pdf).

Alzheimer Society of Washington

Memory Awareness Screenings, 3rd Tuesday of the month, 10:30am-12:30pmat St. Luke's Community Health Education Center, 3333 Squalicum Parkway, Bellingham. Contact us for an appointment at 360-671-3316 or drop in. The screening is non-invasive, non-threatening and takes only a few minutes -only you receive the results. It is an opportunity to ask questions and discuss concerns and options. This is a free service but donations are gratefully accepted.

Alzheimer Society of Washington

SAVE THE DATE

2010 Spring Workshop with Teepa Snow, Dementia Care & Training Specialist. Join us for "The Dementia Journey-Finding the Best Route" on April 16, 2010, 8:00am-4:30pm at Christ the King Center, 4173 Meridian Street, Bellingham.  Continuing education units available.  Pre-registration required.  Call for registration or vendor information 360-671-3316.

Alzheimer Society of Washington

SAVE THE DATE

11th Annual "Miles for Memories" A walk and sanctioned run featuring food, fun, families, and dogs! Join us Saturday, May 15, 2010 at the Fairhaven Village Green in Bellingham.  Starting gun is at 9:00am and when you return to the Village Green, enjoy the music, food, and watching dogs compete for prizes.  Please call 360-671-3316 for information on sponsorship, teams, and registration.

Whatcom Hospice Bereavement Program

Whatcom Hospice Bereavement Program offers a listing of support groups, events and a professional teleconference free to the community in 2010. Please see the Hospice Events Web page for more information.

Dimensions – A Dementia Education Workshop Series

Join our free dementia educational series, offered the fourth Thursday of each month from 2 to 4 pm.  Led by Leta Benfield, RN and Director of Wellness at Birchview Memory Care, this series educates, encourages, and empowers family and friends on how to deal with challenging behaviors, how to navigate the practical daily needs of dementia, and more.

The following topics will be covered:

Communicating with People with Dementia, February 25th, 2 pm to 4 pm
Understanding & Managing Difficult Behaviors, March 25th, 2 pm to 4 pm        
Self Care for Families, April 22nd, 2 pm to 4 pm

To sign up or to learn more, call Kirk Blankenship, Community Relations Director at 360-856-1911.

Avery Becomes Partner; Firm Name Changed

Steven D. Avery, an Associate Attorney with the Elder Law Offices of Barry M. Meyers has become a Partner with the law firm. The name of the law firm has also been changed to the Elder Law Offices of Meyers & Avery.

Mr. Avery received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in Computer Applications and Systems Analysis from California State University Fresno.  He received his law degree from the San Joaquin College of Law in Fresno, California, graduating in the top ten of his class.  Mr. Avery has practiced law for sixteen years.  He previously was an Associate Attorney with the law firm Zender Thurston in Bellingham, and has been practicing with Barry M. Meyers since 2007.  He is licensed to practice law in Washington and California.

Mr. Avery joins Certified Elder Law Attorney Barry M. Meyers in the law practice which includes life care planning (with the assistance of  in-house Geriatric Care Managers, a social worker and a registered nurse), long-term care planning (Medicaid and Medicare), estate planning, trusts (emphasizing special needs trusts for disabled individuals), trust administration, planning for incapacity/disability, guardianships, probate, and the protection of vulnerable adults from financial and physical abuse.

Mr. Avery is the founder of the Bellingham Bay Marathon, and served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Race Director of its inaugural race in 2007.

Mr. Avery resides in Bellingham with his wife, Audrey, and two children.

Note from the Editor

Thanks once again for the interest in the newsletter. Members please continue to submit your articles to anna.mitchell@josephinenet.com.  Please do not respond to this mailing, but contact Anna directly for a more timely response.

If you have questions about ESP feel free to contact any of our board members, Rob Westford, Cindy Sherwin, Barbara Herrmann, Suzanne Shrock, Cindy Maxwell, Barry Meyers, Joe Shrock, Debbie Gann, Sharon Swanson, Anna Mitchell, Mary Gould, Lori Nichols, Erika Stanley.

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