Dea Yost and I did a breakout on this topic at the Conference. The core message--------- to help people live the best possible lives we need to do the same for family caregivers.My ten years as my mother's advocate and primary caregiver taught me how important it is to not takefamilymembers'contributions for granted. Many family members are a resource to be supported and nurtured,not just a "given".I would not have been able to help my mom for 10 years without the concerned support of our case manager and other Racine County DHS staff.

updated by @terry-lynch: 02/23/16 03:06:00AM

I think you make such a great point, Terry. I especially like it when you said, "Many family members are a resource to be supported and nurtured, not just a "given." I think that's true for neighbors and allies from the community. As the loved ones in my life age, I am constantly thankful for those people in the community that are there... One of my loved ones has the best neighbors one could ask for. They help keep her lawn mowed and her driveway clear, and graciously accept the few dollars she offers them for doing it (so she doesn't feel like she's a burden). They check on her when they notice she hasn't left the house in a couple of days or her mail hasn't been taken out of her mailbox to make sure she's ok. And they are truly thankful when she shares her wonderful cooking with them, reinforcing the idea that she still has many gifts to share.