Respite Reframed : Reflections on the National Lifespan Respite Conference, by Emily Kearns Nervous laughter rocked the Georgian conference room at Boston’s Park Plaza Hotel where nearly 200 conference participants, representing 38 states including Hawaii and Canada, gathered to hear Jonathan Evison speak about his experience as a shaky neophyte caregiver – an experience that informed his New York Times bestseller, The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving. Raw and edgy, Evison struck a chord when he spoke about the exhausting commitment and taxing dedication required of those caregiving with loved ones including boomers sandwiched between caring for parents living with dementia and their children and younger parents supporting their children living with severe disabilities. His levity was a welcome respite to those who traveled to the 15th National Lifespan Respite Conference, aptly named, The Freedom Trail to Respite, to share best practices and to further develop innovative ways to garner resources for caregiver support and respite services. It isn’t often that we find humor and hope amidst sobering conversations about caregiving but at this invigorating conference, sponsored by the Massachusetts Lifespan Respite Coalition and ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center, we found not only that, but innovation and inspiration as well! Conference participants, many caregiver warriors themselves, were welcomed by the local (name?) Fife and Drum Corps opening the gathering with their fine rendition of America the Beautiful. What followed were two full days of workshops and plenary sessions exploring how respite providers and communities across the nation can leverage existing resources to garner more, including partnering with corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives to create innovative positive responses to our nation’s critical caregiver crisis – a crisis but also remarkable opportunity to join together to acknowledge and to celebrate our interdependence for nearly all of us will be caregivers and care recipients at some point in our lives. The conference offered a great launch for a renewed effort to grasp this opportunity with such prestigious speakers as Dr. Richard Antonelli, Medical Director of Integrated Care and Physicians Relations and Outreach at Boston’s Children’s Hospital, speaking about “privileged presence” – the gift caregivers receive in their reciprocal relationship of interdependence; and Jill Kagan, Program Director of ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center inviting us to engage communities at all levels to grow coalitions for long-term sustainability. A wide array of workshops offered innovative practices from around the nation including North Carolina’s Lifespan Respite Project which uses federal Money Follows the Person funding to support respite and supports Memory Cafes where caregivers and care recipients can be together as part of the ordinary café community. The Massachusetts Lifespan Respite Coalition invites you to join them in moving our communities forward to creatively respond to the tremendous need for caregiver support in our workplaces and throughout our communities. For more information, please see our website at massrespite.org/ or contact Emily Kearns for more information.
Posted on: Mon, 28 Oct 2013 02:25:33 +0000