We are delighted to share with you some news about a Share The Care™ Program for South West Ontario. ShareTheCaregiving, Inc. will be providing trainings on the model for health professionals throughout the region.

Campaign Supports Caregiving Groups
When a friend or loved one is facing a health or medical crisis, many of us want to help but aren’t always sure how. Some of us hesitate because we’re concerned we’ll be asked to do something we’re not necessarily comfortable doing. ShareTheCaregiving’s Share The Care™ is a caregiving model that shows how ordinary people can pool their talents, time and resources to assist a friend or loved one facing a health or medical crisis.“Being part of a caregiving group can be a truly rewarding experience,” says Anne Marie Madziak, a past member of two such groups. “Share The Care™ turns offers of ‘What can I do to help?’ into positive action.”

It’s an approach that can help regardless of the situation — whether the person is in need of short-term rehabilitation, suffering from long-term or terminal illness, or is just facing the increased difficulties associated with aging.  Developed in the U.S., Share The Care™ has been endorsed by the ALS Association and the National Family Caregiver Association.

The South West Health Integration Network (LHIN) is funding an eighteen-month campaign to make caregivers in this region aware of this powerful model.

A Campaign Coordinator is being hired to lead a focused effort to encourage the creation of Share The Care™ groups across South West Ontario. The Coordinator will work with a volunteer Campaign Team made up of health care providers, community groups, and individuals who have personal experience with caring for a loved one or friend.

“We’re excited to be part of this initiative,” says Paul Cavanagh, Director of the South West End-of-Life Care Network. “Caregiving can be a lonely job. Share The Care™ shows us that help isn’t as far away as we sometimes think it is.”

An online resource is being launched to support the campaign. The South West Caregiver Exchange will be a “mini-site,” part of www.thehealthline.ca  , the South West’s trusted source of up-to-the-minute information about health and social services.

For more information on the model visit: www.sharethecare.org

Have you ever been in a SHARE THE CARE group?
If that’s a  “YES” we need your help!

ShareTheCaregiving is like one big Share The Care™ group. And just like a friend or family in need our organization needs to raise at least $25,000 for operating support.

A $10 (or $25 or $50) donation from every person who has ever been in a Share The Care™ group could keep us going during this incredibly challenging year.  (Or you can pool your funds and make a group donation.) There are thousands of you out there and yet we rarely receive your support.

So often, you’ve shared that our grassroots model saved your day.  Now, save our day and keep us reaching and teaching first–time or struggling burned-out caregivers about the rewards (for everyone) of having friends and neighbors pool their time, skills and love to share the care.

“Click here” to DONATE NOW through Network for Good.

Or

Please make a check payable to ShareTheCaregiving, Inc./NCCI

And send your tax-deductible donation via mail:
ShareTheCaregiving, Inc.
c/o National Center for Civic Innovation
121 Avenue of the Americas, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10013

Seeking Share The Care™ groups helping families dealing with a loved one with Alzheimer’s for an Alzheimer’s Foundation publication, ADvantage Magazine.  The writer would like to interview a family and/or group members for an article she is writing.

Please send your contact information ASAP to: ALZ@sharethecare.org

Thank you.

The Alliance is interested in hearing stories about caregivers who have experienced difficulties in caregiving responsibilities due to the downturn in the economy. They are looking for stories that have occurred within the past year only.  In addition, if you identified any resources that were helpful to you during this time, they would be interested in hearing about that as well.

Please submit your emails to Suzanne Stack: suzanne@caregiving.org

December 2008

Dear Supporter,

In tough times like these, ShareTheCaregiving’s mission is even more important, as we work to empower communities to share the burdens and joys of supporting one another. Every day we read a new caregiving story in the papers about people who are struggling in one way or another; the beauty of our program is that it enables each of us to participate in a positive, deeply meaningful and constructive way in another’s life.

So, we turn to our first line of defense: individuals and group caregivers like you who know what a Share The Care™ group is capable of doing, be it in times of difficulty or times of great joy (see below). Unfortunately, foundation support only pays a small fraction of our expenses to keep going.

We need your help - specifically to pay our rent, purchase books for distribution, print brochures, and hire needed staff.   And we’re actively searching for funds to build an innovative web application to meet the specific needs of individual Share The Care™ groups.

A generous donation from you will make the difference that will allow us to continue our mission to educate the friends, neighbors and co-workers of people in need on how to Share The Care™.

Please make it possible for Share The Care™ continue to help by making a tax-deductible contribution by check payable to SHARETHECAREGIVING/NCCI. Or you can click here to go to the:  Make a Donation section of our web site and donate through Network for Good. This is a secure method used by many.

Whether you send us an individual donation, or pool your funds with your fellow group members and friends - it will make a major difference. A donation can be made “in memory” or, “in honor” of someone special - just please include his or her name. And to personally acknowledge your tax-deductible gift, we’ll need your name & address.

As the holiday season approaches the Board of Directors and I want to wish you and your family much health, hope and joy during  the holidays and throughout the New Year ahead.

Warmest regards,

Sheila Warnock

Founder & President
ShareTheCaregiving Inc.
551 Fifth Avenue, 28th Floor
New York, New York 10176
646-467-8097

A NEW KIND OF SHARE THE CARE ™ EXPERIENCE

“The Diaper Darlings have been going strong since September 16, 2007 caring for the Quads: Ben, Savannah, Drew and Ethan.

I was so blessed to have the knowledge the Share The Care book had given me so that I could help this family expecting four new babies all at one time. I knew I could do it - I knew it would work - it had for my  family.

The Quads have about 50 adopted Mom’s, Grandma’s, Great Grandma’s and Grandpa’s who love them dearly. (Recruited from our Church).

So, the Share The Care™ program not only helps people who are ill, but can also provide support to families during times of great joy as well. I’m so blessed to be able to offer this assistance to so many families. It feels so good to be able to “give back” some of the gifts given to me, and my family, while caring for my daughter, Marcie.”

Linda Gibson, Arlington, TX

ShareTheCaregiving Inc.™
Helps Kick Off National Family Caregivers Month

National Family Caregivers Month, celebrated every November, is a nationally recognized time set aside every year to thank, support, educate and empower more than 50 million family caregivers across the country currently providing over $350 billion in “free” caregiving services. Celebrating NFC Month in your community can bring attention to your programs and raise awareness about caregiving.

This FREE two-part series features 2 one-hour phone calls:
•    Date: November 6 and 13 at 2 p.m. ET
•    Title: Communicating Effectively with Healthcare Professionals
•    To register visit: www.thefamilycaregiver.org or call 800-896-3650
ShareTheCaregiving Inc. is pleased to be an endorsing organization of NFC Month, created by the National Family Caregivers Association to bring attention to the needs of family caregivers. “This year we are encouraging people to speak up during National Family Caregivers Month.” said Suzanne Mintz, NFCA president and co-founder. “One of the most important attributes of being an advocate for your loved one is the ability to speak up to health care professionals protecting not only the health and safety of your loved ones but for yourself as well.”

1.    Offer a few hours of respite time to a family caregiver so they spend time with friends, or simply relax.
2.    Send a card of appreciation or a bouquet of flowers to brighten up a family caregiver’s day.
3.    Encourage local businesses to offer a free service for family caregivers through the month of November.
4.    Invite family caregivers to participate in the National Family Caregivers Association’s FREE national TeleClass to learn how to communicate more effectively with health care professionals.  The 2 free one hour sessions will be November 6 and 13 at 2 p.m. ET.  For more information visit www.thefamilycaregiver.org.
5.    Help a family caregiver decorate their home for the holidays or offer to address envelopes for their holiday cards.
6.    Offer comic relief!  Purchase tickets to a local comedy club, give a family caregiver your favorite funny movie to view, or provide them with a book on tape.
7.    Find 12 different family photos and have a copy center create a monthly calendar that the family caregiver can use to keep track of appointments and events.
8.    Offer to prepare Thanksgiving dinner for a caregiving family in your community, so they can just relax and enjoy the holiday.
9.    Take a few minutes to write a letter encouraging your mayor, county executive, or governor to issue a local proclamation establishing November as National Family Caregivers Month. Contact information for state government officials can be found at www.firstgov.gov.
10.    Help family caregivers find information and resources on the internet or to locate a local support group.

Share The Care has been awarded a 2008 Caregiver Friendly award in the Book category.

Dear Sheila,

It is my great honor to announce that Share The Care has been awarded a 2008 Caregiver Friendly award in the Book category.

This award signifies that you and your organization understand the value of supporting family caregivers and have created something that not only helps a caregiver care for their loved ones but also improves his or her quality of life in the process.

Gary Barg
Founder / Editor-in-Chief
Today’s Caregiver

About The Caregiver Friendly Awards:
The Caregiver Friendly Awards are presented by Today’s Caregiver magazine to celebrate outstanding books, media, products and services which have been designed with the best interest of the caregiver and his or her loved one in mind. Today’s Caregiver magazine and caregiver.com, launched in 1995, are published by Caregiver Media Group, which also produces the Fearless Caregiver Conferences.
“The average caregiver is responsible for over $40,000 in health related expenditures each year, in either personal or directed funds” Says Gary Barg, Today’s Caregiver magazine’s Founder and Editor-in-Chief, “This award is designed to help family caregivers recognize and reward those organizations who will care for them in as committed a manner as they care for their loved ones.”

Awards will be presented at Today’s Caregiver magazine’s Fearless Caregiver Conference to be held in Fort Lauderdale, Fl. May 15, 2008.

Looking for Share The Care groups caring for (or who have cared for) someone with ALS.

A new group would like to communicate with you AND with all Share The Care groups located in New York City.

Please send us an e-mail at: info@sharethecare.org

… or better yet fill out our questionnaire: Click here>> ABOUT YOUR GROUP.

Comments Off

No one understands better than you, the importance of our mission to stop “caregiver burnout” and help thousands of other individuals and families find the SHARE THE CARE model. SHARE THE CARE has been, and continues to be, a successful caregiving solution for a wide range of conditions and situations.

ShareTheCaregiving has reached a major turning point its development and if ever there was a time when our organization needed your help it is right now! Our goal is to raise $25,000 to cover some of our costs for the first half of 2008.

Since receiving our 501c3 in 2004, we’ve been working steadily to spread the word and educate individuals, health professionals and clergy about the model so they in turn can introduce it to families who need the help. We’re making tremendous headway yet our organization needs your support to pay for printing educational materials, purchasing books for distribution, and just paying the rent. We’re also in dire need of a new Mac laptop so work can continue while on the road. Ours is so old it can’t even be upgraded with current technology.

People often tell us “SHARE THE CARE is such important work.” So, we ask you to please keep it going by making a generous donation.

“I think the book was the best piece of information we received in all our searching. It is the greatest and I recommend it to everyone who asks about our situation. I wish all hospitals could hand it out when they give you a diagnosis (for ALS). I wish you could get a grant to have it placed in every hospital waiting room and doctor’s office. Everyone knows someone that could benefit from reading it.”

Kathryn Field

Whether you send us an individual donation, or pool your funds with your fellow group members–it will make a major difference. A donation can be made “in memory” or, “in honor” of someone special–just please include his or her name. And to personally acknowledge your tax-deductible gift, we’ll need your name & address.

For checks:
ShareTheCaregiving, Inc.
551 Fifth Avenue, 28th Floor
New York, NY 10176

or via the Web site: click here to: Make a Donation
through the Network for Good.

We thank you for your meaningful support and wish you all a wonderful Holiday Season.

Sheila Warnock
Founder & President

National Family Caregivers Association

National Family Caregivers Month, celebrated every November, is a nationally recognized time set aside every year to thank, support, educate and celebrate more than 50 million family caregivers across the country currently providing an estimated $306 billion in “free” caregiving services. Celebrating NFC Month in your community can bring attention to your programs and raise awareness about ShareTheCaregiving™.

In celebration of National Family Caregivers Month 2007, family caregivers are encouraged to take action to improve their own health and well being by speaking up for their rights. Help support family caregivers to take steps every day to make their lives easier, improve the care they give their loved one and convince others to speak up about the assistance family caregivers need and deserve.

ShareTheCaregiving, Inc. is pleased to be an endorsing organization of NFC Month and a part of this campaign to bring attention to the needs of family caregivers. The National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA) leads the NFC Month effort and creates a special Family Caregiver Kit with educational and promotional materials to help you celebrate. Here’s what you can do to get involved:

• Remind family caregivers to believe in themselves, protect their health, reach out for help, and speak up for their rights.

• Encourage family caregivers to identify themselves as a family caregiver in conversations with others, including friends and family as well as healthcare professionals.

• Plan your own local NFC Month Celebration. Contact the National Family Caregivers Association at www.thefamilycaregiver.org or call 800/896-3650 to learn more about how you can obtain family caregiver kits and ideas for celebrating National Family Caregivers Month.

Please download the the National Family Caregivers Association’s informational PDF; learn more about National Family Caregivers Month, and how to order promotional materials. Click here >> NFCA - Informational - PDF << (If the PDF shows up in your browser window and you wish to download it to your desktop: Right click and select ‘Save As’ - Mac=Control click and ‘Save As’)

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