Beth Nelson wrote:
>
> I am looking for ideas to help friends and family that are doing some
> long term caregiving for a member of our church. I am planning a
> meeting for those caregivers and would like to mix fun in with the
> relaxation and provide an opportunity to talk. Has anyone done
> something like this before or know of some good ideas? I would
> also need some 'icebreaker' ideas to get the group talking.


On February 18, 2002, National Public Radio featured a story
entitled, "Team Care for the Chronically Ill," which dealt
extensively and creatively with the topic of caregiver support:

"In the village of Sandwich, N.H., friends take turns caring for a
man with Lou Gehrig's Disease. It's a homegrown solution to fill
the gaps left by insurance and social service agencies. NPR's
Richard Knox tells the story of Phil Simmons and his circle of
caregivers."

You can view a transcript of the story by going to NPR's website,
http://npr.org/programs/atc/features/2002/jan/carecircles/carecircles.html

The article has links to a book called, "Share the Care: How
to Organize a Group to Care for Someone Who Is
Seriously Ill," by Cappy Capossela and Sheila Warnock. The
book cost $11.20 on Amazon; there is a description of
the book and the concept at
http://www.thefuneraldirectory.com/stc_index.html

The book features a suggested script for the leader and
care coordinator to use for the initial meeting of caregivers,
along with suggested icebreaker exercises. One of
the exercises helps caregivers identify what they are
likely to gain from the experience of caregiving.
There are also forms with instructions for copying. I ordered
it for our health ministry library, and will probably actually
use the concept very soon with a parishioner who has
a brain tumor.

Carolyn Crowe

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