Join us for a free on-demand webinar series Finding Hope Humor & Heart in Caregiving with Elaine Sanchez. This series is for those who are caring for loved ones who can no longer care for themselves. You will laugh through your tears as speaker and author Elaine Sanchez shares real-life stories and practical self-care strategies that will help you manage the emotional stress of caregiving.

This is the second volume of four, one-hour recorded presentations that you can access and view for free from September 1st-November 30th, 2023. Watch all at once or come back to watch as many times as you’d like during that time.

Dealing with Depression and Grief

Depression and Grief are two of the most challenging emotions experienced by most caregivers. The symptoms are so similar that it can be difficult to distinguish one from the other. Plus, it’s not uncommon for caregivers to be experiencing both depression and grief simultaneously. Caregivers who participate in this event will come away with strategies that will help them:

• Become familiar with the similarities and differences between reactionary depression and clinical depression.

• Recognize and understand the importance of seeking medical interventions to manage clinical depression.

• Understand how dealing with Preparatory Grief, which is the grief a person experiences before death, is uniquely different from the grief they go through after their care receiver dies.

So God, What are We Going to do Today?

This presentation is the story of one woman’s spiritual journey through caregiving. It is told through the letters that Elaine’s mother wrote to her during the six-and-a-half years she cared for her husband following his debilitating stroke. Madelyn’s strength came from her faith in a loving and benevolent God, but that didn’t keep her from questioning, doubting, and sometimes getting angry at God.

It starts at a point of “lightning strike irreverence,” and ends with Madelyn’s profound and personal relationship with God. In the middle, Madelyn listens to Deepak Chopra tapes, learns to meditate, dabbles in flower essence, and at age 75, becomes a certified Reiki instructor.

Some of the letters are laugh-out-loud funny. Some are heartbreaking. All are an unflinchingly honest exploration of faith from the letters of an aging woman who is dealing with her own failing health while caring for her husband as his prostate cancer advances and his cognitive abilities decline due to his stroke-related dementia.

Dementia: A Different Reality

Nothing will ever make caring for individuals with Alzheimer’s or other dementia-related disorders easy, but knowing how the disease impacts a person’s behavior and developing strategies that will reduce their stress and anxiety, can help make caring for a loved one with a dementia-related disease a little less exhausting.

In this presentation, Elaine shares a series of short true stories that demonstrate how dementia impacts a person’s behavior and perception of reality.

She helps people understand how stepping into their care receiver’s altered reality of the moment can help reduce their anxiety and stress and lessen some of the more challenging behaviors associated with Sundowning.

Attendees will come away with a greater understanding of:

• The types of underlying issues, including emotional and physical triggers, that create agitation and other behaviors that are hard to manage.

• How a person's personality and past can impact their current reality, perceptions, and desires.

• How "Compassionate Deception" can reduce stress for both the caregiver and care receiver.

Finding Resources for A Child With Special Needs

Becoming a parent to a healthy newborn comes with a fair amount of stress. But when a child comes into the world with a disability, everything about caring for them, educating them, and protecting them becomes exponentially more difficult.

In this presentation, Elaine shares information that will help parents:

• Get their child enrolled in an Early Intervention Program so they can access support from infancy through preschool.

• Understand the types of accommodations and modifications school districts are required to provide to children with special needs because of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which was passed in 1975.

Often called IDEA, this law mandates that all children, including children with disabilities, are entitled to a free and appropriate education tailored to their individual needs in the least restrictive environment possible from kindergarten through high school.

• Discover how a child with disabilities can stay in high school until age 21 in order to prepare for a successful transition from school to work.

No products will be sold. For additional disclosures see thrivent.com/social. Any content published by Thrivent and Elaine Sanchez for Caregiverhelp.com is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It should not be regarded as a substitute for professional guidance from your healthcare provider.