ON THE MOVE: KIRC is making a move: what you need to know

Hello KIRC family!

Can you believe how fast this year is moving? I can’t!

We are quickly approaching the end of October and stepping into the beginning of yet another holiday season – wow!

But before that, there is still plenty of work to tackle. This week, Keeping It REAL Caregiving is honored to moderate a panel as part of the Age Boom Academy.

The four-day program is presented by Columbia Journalism School and is designed to educate journalists about some of the realities, nuances and challenges of caregiving.

‘Questions of Caregiving Equity and How Stress Gets under the Skin’ features Dr. Jennifer Olsen, CEO of the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers, Dr. Sheria Robinson-Lane, Assistant Professor, University of Michigan School of Nursing and Dr. Martin Picard, Associate Professor and Director, Mitochondrial Psychology Group, Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

Folks, we are making an impact! This is an impressive gathering of professionals and we have a direct line of communication and involvement.

Here’s where you come in: the Age Boom Academy is to help more national journalists understand the issues surrounding ‘care’ in our country and hear REAL stories and experiences. Below you’ll see the journalists selected for this year’s Academy.

For any of you who are open to sharing more of your stories, I invite you to PLEASE drop a comment into the discussion box OR email me at [email protected]. I can then direct many of these journalists to you for future story ideas or perhaps interview opportunities.

As we start to wind down 2022, the other big news I would like to share, is that Keeping It REAL Caregiving is on the move.

I would like to thank all of you for joining this journey. We are now poised to continue growing and building our collective voices – BUT – we’ll be doing so from a new platform (TBD).

Why the change? After a lengthy review process, Meta (Bulletin) has made the difficult decision to discontinue the Bulletin platform early next year.

Keeping It REAL Caregiving newsletter

So what does that mean for us?

Keeping It REAL Caregiving will begin focusing on placing our content on the KIRC website; our original home.
I’m also in the process of researching a new home for our newsletter, so you’ll be able to follow KIRC right over to our new home and receive updates.
KIRC will continue to publish here on Bulletin through at least the end of October. A final date will be announced soon with details of our new home.
For premium subscribers, all current Bulletin subscriptions will be refunded, regardless of when you purchased your subscription; both monthly and annual subscriptions will be refunded fully. *PLEASE do not cancel your subscription as only active subscriptions will be refunded.

Never enough time

As caregivers, I know how busy we all are. It can be tough to tackle our daily tasks, let alone carve out time to dig out information and resources that might be helpful.

That is exactly why I created Keeping It REAL Caregiving. While in the thick of caring for my mother, Miss Nellie, there were days when I couldn’t find time to even think.

So for this update, I wanted to share with you a few of the posts you may have missed over the past few months.

1. Saving money

Who doesn’t like to save money? We run down a few ideas and opportunities to practice being smart and thrifty!

Simple systems for $aving money: make your age work for your wallet

2. You are not alone

Although sometimes it can feel as if you are on this caregiving road all by yourself, the reality is – you are not. An increasing level of awareness is taking hold across the country, of the needs and challenges faced by family caregivers

There is now a new National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers.

What will this mean in practical terms? KIRC is still reading to sort it all out. But, let’s all begin reading and researching together so we understand what services and programs will be coming down the pike.

National strategy to support family caregivers: what does it mean for all of us?

3. Reader question: Can I be paid to care for my spouse?

A KIRC reader posed a question that many often have (I wanted to know the exact same thing while caring for my mother). What options are there for getting paid to care for a family member? Unfortunately there is not a simple answer. It can vary from state to state and depend on an individual’s eligibility.

Can my wife get paid for being my family caregiver? She’s already doing the work!

4. Is your strength hurting you?

Do you find yourself believing you are the ONLY individual who can properly care for a loved one? Has taking on that role led to you putting yourself last, feeling overwhelmed, stressed and burned out?

Keeping It REAL Caregiving talked with an expert within the aging field about why learning to ask for help can actually benefit not only you, but your loved one as well.

Can too much strength be a weakness? A leader in the aging field explains why we should tell our caregiving truths