Seniors Caring For Seniors - Coping With Stress: A Mechanism For African American Elders. - This caregiver training will help African American Caregivers identify the warning signs and symptoms of stress and develop specific skills to remedy it.  The training will focus on an African American approach to stress: Spirituality/meditation, positive self concept, family interaction and personality.

          Should I, can I, Stay in my Present Residence, and If I can’t What Can I Do?  How caregivers Can Help - This program will explore the information and techniques that a caregiver needs to assist an older person make decisions concerning their living arrangements.  The training will focus on realistic expectations for the African American elderly community.  Alternative housing arrangements, community resources, how to access these resources and how to help the older person make these decisions will be addressed.

          What Are HMOs, Their Advantages And Disadvantages, And How Can I Get What I Need From Them - This session will address the what is an HMO, why join an HMO, how do HMOs work, Advantages and disadvantages of HMOs, and how best to use the HMO.  The emphasis will be on helping a caregiver to assist an older person answer important questions relating to HMOs.

What is Normal Aging - The purpose of this 1½ hour training session is to assist participants to identify their personal attitudes towards aging, and identify the normal biological and psycho-social aspects of aging.  The session assists participants to identify their attitudes on aging, explores myths of aging and identifies and discusses the normal aging process.

Vital Information, Papers and Record Keeping - Why Do Families And Agencies Need To Organize Vital Information And Important Papers?  A Discussion.  The purpose of this training is to identify what information is important for older persons when caring for medical, social service, financial and/or placement programs.  It also provides suggestions for organizing this information, and involving the older person in this task.  The training will: identify why information is important and necessary; identify what information is important; identify methods to store information and discuss how caregivers can enlist the older person in locating organizing and storing vital information.

Visiting Skills

          The purpose of this session is to create an enhance the awareness of the participants of the elements which increase the effectiveness of communication with older persons and their families.  This program will assist participants:

·         To understand the basic elements of communication and to practice these elements in a classroom setting.

·         To learn specific communication skills and practice them in the classroom setting.

·         To gain greater awareness of how personal attitudes and values impact on communication.