The Caregiver’s Voice Without A Voice
After presenting two keynote addresses at three conferences and five workshops, I barely had a voice for the presentation below. If you listen closely, you’ll find treasured spoken nuggets and information on the slides. You’ll be informed, entertained, and even have aha moment or two!
The Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells was the setting for the annual FOCUS Conference for Mental Health professionals in Wisconsin. Thank you, Mary Van Rossum for helping raise awareness of the “high-wire act” of caregiving for people with dementia among these attending professionals.
I recommend viewing in shorter segments – 15 minutes or so while you take notes to wisely invest your time.
Highlights of Presentation
With self-awareness, we communicate with purpose and humor to achieve greater control and balance along the high-wire of self-preservation and care.
- We family caregivers expect a lot from paid professionals. [View at 19:48] Warning: finger pointing.
- Self-Awareness Exercise [View at 24:15] Being self-aware grounds us.
- The words we often use result in self-centered communication.
- Ask questions to gain control. You only need five minutes.
- How to give hugs with your words.
- Exercise: Applying inclusive language and humor to attendees’ recent awful experiences. [View at 54:03]
Thank YOU, to the FOCUS team at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services for posting this video online.
