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It's National Family Caregivers Month

Submitted by fiftyshift on Wed, 11/04/2009 - 18:48
Many of us have ended up, unexpectedly, as the primary caregiver to a sick or elderly loved one. Sometimes  it happens overnight. Without realizing it, we join a vast, mostly silent majority. It's primarily a sisterhood of caregivers who do the this work in our society.
 
As the author of Fiftyshift's booklet, "Friends Indeed: How to Help During a Serious Illness," I think November presents a timely opportunity to share  information and updates on the "Friends Indeed" project.  
 
Did you know that more than 50 million family caregivers in this country provide 80 percent of our nation's long-term care services? Their "free" services are worth $375 billion each year, according to the National Family Caregivers Association.
 
President Obama recognizes the tremendous value--and challenges--of being a caregiver in this Presidental Proclamation.
 
November is National Family Caregiver Month. So the Friends Indeed project continues spreading the word about caregiving groups. We've received positive feedback about our article in the Springfield (MA) Republican's "Life After Fifty" section. 
 
Meekins Library in Williamsburg, Mass.,  will host a "Friends Indeed" reading on Thursday, November 19 at 7 p.m.
 
We'll receive mention at the Nov. 21 Write Angles conference, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA, when our publisher and editor BJ Roche serves as a panelist during the session on blogging.
 
The D'Amour Cancer Care Center at Baystate Hospital, Springfield, MA,  is now offering our booklet as a resource to patients with cancer and their families.
 
Through your support in spreading the word, we continue to receive requests to present readings at churches, independent bookstores, senior centers and other oganizations. Thank you! We'll be on the road November 15 for a reading in Binghamton, NY.
 
For more information, including ordering details, about "Friends Indeed: How to Help During a Serious Illness," click here. 
 
                                                         --Helene J. Powers