Caregivers are very much on my mind this month. November is traditionally National Family Caregiver Month, but because November is also the start of The Holiday Season, when people are so busy, I thought we’d start early in order to give our family caregivers the recognition they deserve.

Caring for our Caregivers
In addition to talking about caring at our cafes, we’re organizing an appreciation lunch for the family caregivers in our Parkinson community on
Saturday, November 10, 10:30 am – 1:00 pm.
Insight Memory Care Center has once again kindly offered their space to us, and 5 Star Home Health Care are providing refreshments and other goodies. Family caregivers male and female, past and present, are all welcome. Along with lunch we’ll have an engaging discussion with a panel of caregivers, door prizes, and other free gifties. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to meet new friends and catch up with old ones.
Seats are limited, so please register soon! We are also offering respite care (activities and lunch) in the room next door to the caregiver event, also with limited seats, and it would be a great help if you could register soon for respite care as well.
Click here to register!

Congratulations to Insight Memory Care Center’s Executive Director, Christi Clark!
Christi is the recipient of the 2018 Ruth Von Behren Award of the National Adult Day Services Association that recognizes her personal achievements and commitment to the field. Christi’s encouragement and support helped us turn our dream of cafes for the Parkinson’s community into a reality, and many of us are grateful for her kindness to us on a personal level as well. Thank you for all you do, Christi!

Here are some events and web events happening this month that might be of interest to you . . .

Learning and Living for Safer Generations
Saturday, October 13, 10:00 am – 2:30 pm
At: Inova Fairfax Medical Campus,
Physicians Conference Center, Lower Level
330 Gallows Road, Falls Church, VA 22042
Program includes Grandparenting 101 and Be Falls-Free at Home and in the Community. Click here for more information.

Caregivers’ Search for Meaning
Thursday, October 18, 2018, 7:00 p.m.
(The webinar also will be recorded for viewing later)
by Janet Edmunson, M.Ed. For family and professional caregivers
Webinar will be approximately 30-40 minutes in length and will also will be recorded for viewing later. Register online today by clicking: https://tinyurl.com/caregiversearchformeaning
Webinar Description: Viktor Frankl, a holocaust survivor, discovered that he could find meaning in the most miserable of conditions—in a concentration camp. This webinar will unearth what can we learn from his experiences that can help us with ours as caregivers. We’ll delve into how to explore meaning in our caregiver situations…no matter how difficult and sad they are. We’ll see how the search for meaning can buoy us up, even in the darkest times. And we’ll go beyond just the theory to reveal actual practical ways we can discover this meaning.

Safe Driving as You Age
Tuesday, October 23 from 10:00 am – 2:30 pm
At: Reston Community Center Hunter Woods
2310 Colts Neck Road, Reston
A FREE safe driving workshop featuring speakers, an exhibitor fair and lunch. Learn how to improve your health and well-being on and off the road. Explore safe and reliable transportation alternatives when it is time to hang up the keys.
Click here for more information.

Hoping to see you out and about soon! How about Cafe McLean next Wednesday?
Click here for more details . . .

Cheers,
Sonia
email: Sonia@ParkinsonSocialNetwork.org