About 154,000 people in Hawaii are helping older family members and friends so they can live at home and in the community.
About 154,000 people in Hawaii are helping older family members and friends so they can live at home and in the community.
These unpaid caregivers provide help that ranges in complexity from simple meal preparation or transportation, to more complex care such as medication management, wound care or caring for a family member with dementia.
It isn’t easy and no one can do it alone.
That’s why AARP Hawaii and the Hawaii County Office of Aging are putting on a free workshop from 8 a.m.-noon July 8 at the Church of the Holy Cross in Hilo to help caregivers.
Family caregivers and those planning for their own future can learn to better care for loved ones, get connected to resources and information and meet other caregivers.
The workshop will cover a variety of topics including communication strategies for dementia, resources for caregivers, understanding palliative care and what to do if a loved one is hospitalized and after he or she comes home.
A new law, the CARE (Caregiver Advise, Record, Enable) Act, helps caregivers when a loved one goes into the hospital. It takes effect Saturday.
The law provides three basic rights:
• Provides the patient with an opportunity to designate a family caregiver on their medical record.
• Requires the hospital to notify the caregiver before a patient is discharged or transferred to another facility.
• Requires hospitals to offer instructions on the medical tasks you will need to perform at home after a patient is discharged.
To register for the workshop, visit https://aarp.cvent.com/care7-8 or call (toll free) 1-877-926-8300.