Saturday conference open to caregivers

The all-day Regional Caregiver Conference, "Seaching for solutions and finding the way," on Saturday, Oct. 18, at WITC in New Richmond is open to all caregivers in the area.

According to Nancy Abrahamson, St. Croix County caregiver support coordinator, the event offers the opportunity to gather essential information from experts while meeting and networking with other caregivers.

Regional medical centers, service agencies and county agencies in western Wisconsin and eastern Minnesota are partnering to provide a comprehensive experience for all who attend.

The keynote speaker will be Carolyn Allshouse from the Minnesota Department of Health. According to Abrahamson, Allshouse is a caregiver who speaks from her own life experience. She will discuss effective strategies for talking with medical professionals about the person for whom we care and for personal medical care as well. In addition, she will conduct a breakout session on developing an emergency plan of care.

Dennis Harkins will do an overview of the Transition to Family Care in Wisconsin. The finale is a caregiver panel representing those caring for special needs children, adults and those with a chronic disease. They’ll discuss the lessons they learned and the strategies they use for charting a positive caregiving journey.

“Their insights will help you throughout your caregiving experience,” said Abrahamson.

In addition to the speakers, the conference will include expert-facilitated breakout sessions including: