ASK Lisa By Lisa Sydnor
The staff of CAREGIVER Magazine is committed to connecting those in need with services and programs.
If you have a question, call 405-314-7840 or email l.sydnor@caregiveroklahoma.com Include your name and phone number in the message.
SHOWING OUR GRATITUDE ASKLisa has a little different format in this issue. It is in segments – or chapters – or format. I have so much to tell you (don’t I always!) and I couldn’t get it all in just a few paragraphs. November is a special month. We honor our Veterans; it is Caregiver Month; and we celebrate Thanksgiving. All in the spirit of gratitude and thankfulness.
the goal of a unified caregiving strategy to support family/ friend caregivers across the nation. The need to support the nation’s nearly 53 million family caregivers and sustain them as the backbone of our chronic and long-term care system is a central issue in national and state efforts to reform healthcare.
November is National Family Caregivers Month. This is a time to recognize and honor family/ friend caregivers and an opportunity to raise awareness of caregiving issues, educate communities, and increase support for caregivers. Through national surveys, our research identifies important new trends and sheds light on the varying needs of this huge and diverse group. In advancing our mission, NAC conducts research, does policy analysis, develops national best-practice programs, and works to increase public awareness of family caregiving issues. National Family Caregivers Month www.caregiver.va.gov/ The National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) developed From Momentum to Movement: Developing a Unified Strategy to Support Family Caregivers Across the Nation. This report supports building partnerships in advocacy that improve the lives of family caregivers. In 2019, the NAC Annual Conference of Caregiver Advocates explored the need for a unified strategy to address family caregiving as a public health issue. The feedback from that conference supports continued partnerships to advance
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From Momentum to Movement represents the first iteration of a living document and compilation of resources to help guide advocates in developing caregiving strategies that address community-level needs. As well as individual needs. There is a strategic process to foster the development of actionable goals in many new state plans. It also includes core policy recommendations in personcentered domains intended to coordinate alignment across key global, national, and state-level priorities and to strengthen movement toward a robust, unified caregiving strategy for caregivers across the lifespan. YOU’VE COME A LONG WAY VA! Sometimes it pays to re-access what you think you know about an organization. The VA, and in particular VA Hospital in Oklahoma City, has instituted new programs and enhanced existing ones. There are two programs specifically for caregivers. One is the Caregiver Support Program; this is general support for all veterans. Christy Pargeter and Craig Harrison brought me up-to-date on enhanced elements and a new initiative of the Caregiver Program, Inclusive Care. This is a system-wide approach to Veteran care that embraces, engages, and empowers caregivers, Veterans, and clinicians through the care journey. By giving providers the tools and training they need to include caregivers as part of the care team,
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