From the Desk of Debbie Stewart:

Senior Connection's 
Live Expo & Speakers Bureau Resumes!

We are very excited to announce our “Senior & Caregivers Conference & Expo” will occur LIVE on Friday, October 14 from 10am-3pm at Liberty Traditional School, 3300 N Lake Valley Rd in Prescott Valley.

This event provides an opportunity for you to visit with representatives from dozens of companies that provide products, services and support, to help you succeed in your role as a Senior and/or a Family Caregiver. Information and literature will be available, and you may ask questions related to your specific needs or those of your loved ones. This will be our first live Expo in two years, so you won’t want to miss it! Come any time during the day, as your schedule allows. Free parking. Free admission.

For a color Expo flyer, click here:
www.seniorconnection.us/Expo_Brochure.pdf

We recently resumed live Speakers Bureau presentations twice monthly, on the second and fourth Thursdays, from 12-1pm in Prescott. We videotape the presentations and upload the video to our website, generally within 24 hours of the live presentation, which you can watch “On Demand” at your convenience. Videos of every presentation since March 2020 are on the website. Topics that were not relevant to you before, might be interest to you now.

Go to videos web page directly via www.teleconnection.seniorconnection.us 

Or, you can get there from the Senior Connection Home Page at www.SeniorConnection.us and click on the "Speakers Bureau Teleconnection Streaming" link.

For a schedule of upcoming presentations, go to: www.seniorconnection.us/CurrentPresentations.html
Don & I look forward to seeing you soon!

Making the Connection,
Debbie Stewart

Senior Connection
P.O. Box 11929
Prescott AZ 86304
(928) 778-3747 
www.SeniorConnection.us
Debbie@SeniorConnection.us

As Caregivers, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of tasks that need to be accomplished for your loved one each day. While it’s easy to remain upbeat on good days, it’s the bad days that can leave you feeling confused, exhausted or resentful. At these times, it’s important to know that you’re not alone. 

Knowing what to expect can help tremendously in your ability to cope. Knowledge is Power! Each month in this newsletter we include one or more articles on topics relating to the joys and challenges of aging and caregiving.

Please let me know if you find the articles useful and what other topics you’d like to see.

You might be exploring whether to gift to your heirs during your lifetime or posthumously. You might be considering this especially if you’re concerned with reducing the size of your estate for any number of reasons. If you want to engage in planned giving to help your children or grandchildren but are concerned how they will spend the money or how it will impact their attitude toward money, you can follow two steps to encourage thoughtfulness and intention.

Step 1: Establish a goal
If you want to evaluate your heirs to see if you will give them more in the future, the first thing to do is identify your goal. Is there something specific you want to promote in the next generation? Do you want to see your heirs embark on an entrepreneurial journey? Do you want to see the next generation engage in charitable giving? Do you want to see the next generation engaging in self-improvement, for example, pursuing a master’s degree, enrolling in a certificate program in their field, or improving their skills in another area?

Step 2: Communicate the goal to your heirs
After establishing a goal, communicate it to your heirs. If you are planning to give to four grandchildren, gather them together in person or on a joint call for the conversation. If your goal is to see them engage in self-improvement and charitable giving, let them know. You can say, “I want to give you some money on a regular basis, but I want to see you improve yourself with it. I want to see you going to college, trade school, graduate school, or if you already graduated, do additional training to improve your career. I also want to see you help others. I want to see you make that a part of your way of living so that you don’t take the $16,000 and spend it all on yourself.” Then let them know that you’ll evaluate what they’ve done with the money and before the next check comes, you’ll have another conversation with them.

Contact Your Professional
Your financial professional can help you identify what gifting strategy works best with your financial situation, goals and values. 

Joseph Allen is a Wealth Advisor for Lane Brothers Investment Counsel in Prescott.  You can contact Joe at: Joe@lanebrothers.com or by calling (928)776-8870  Please visit www.LaneBrothers.com for more information, or visit his office at 1550 Plaza West Dr, Prescott 86303.

---

"Caregiver Stress"

Submitted by 
Susan Drysdale, PhD - Psychotherapist

Many of us are trying to cope with our own problems when suddenly we find ourselves in the role of caregiver to another. Perhaps we have become responsible for a spouse, a parent, a sibling, or sometimes even an adult child. We did not expect to be taking care of someone else. We are not sure how to navigate the waters. We are uncertain how to handle our own problems along with the problems of someone else.

We are trying to balance it all out for the sake of the other as well as for ourselves. If we do not get the support we need, stress can leave us vulnerable to burnout. If things get bad enough, we will not be able to help the one we love. Signs of caregiver stress are anxiety, depression, irritability, insomnia, fatigue, resentment, impatience, and eating too much or too little, or drinking too much. 

We need to find ways to lighten the load. We need to invest in other activities besides caregiving. Perhaps we can look into respite care. Perhaps we can ask friends and relatives to help while we give ourselves permission to take time off. We need to feel empowered by focusing on what we can control. We need to realize that our reactions to a problem are usually more important than the problem itself. We need to feel appreciated, which can be done by imagining how the loved one would react if he or she could, or by speaking to a supportive friend or relative. We need to let others know what they can do to help out. We need to take care of our own health by eating right, exercising, sleeping enough, and finding time to relax.

Perhaps finding a support group or talking to a professional would be helpful. Sometimes we need a neutral third party to help us prioritize what needs to be done and figure out how to move forward.

Susan will be giving a Speakers Bureau Presentation on “Anxiety – What It Is and How to Cope With its Symptoms” on Thursday, September 22 from 12-1pm at Las Fuentes in Prescott. Please see details in Calendar Section of this newsletter. 

Susan Drysdale, PhD is a psychotherapist with 30 years clinical experience. Areas of expertise include bereavement, depression, anxiety, relationship issues, transitions and loss, addictions, stress-related symptoms, coping with illness, and other senior citizen issues.  Visit www.drsusandrysdale.com or contact her in Prescott at (631)681-6717 or drsusandrysdale@gmail.com

---

If you would like to see what Support Groups are operating in our Community, please click here:
www.CaregiverConnection.us/SupportGroups

If you would like to see who our Sponsoring Members are, please click here:
www.CaregiverConnection.us/SCAgencies

If you would to learn more about Community Activities & Announcements, please click here:
www.CaregiverConnection.us/Community

---

Disclaimer:
The inclusion of information about the companies listed herein does not represent an endorsement on the part of this publication, the Caregiver Connection, the Senior Connection, nor is staff or officers.
It is your responsibility to verify the validity, reliability and suitability of any of the companies with whom you may wish to do business.

---

Newsletter Compiled by:
Debbie Stewart
Senior Connection,
www.SeniorConnection.us

We would appreciate if you would notify us at Debbie@SeniorConnection.us
if you learn of any changes to the above information.
Thank you!

---

The information contained herein and throughout the website is for educational purposes only. It is not intended, nor should it be construed as legal, medical or financial advice. Use of this information indicates your understanding of, and agreement to the above.

---

Whether you are an adult child caring for an aging parent, a spouse or sibling providing care to a relative, or a senior caring for yourself, the information and products available via the www.SeniorConnection.us website are designed to improve your quality of life. 

THE
SENIORCONNECTION.US WEBSITE

   As caregivers, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of tasks that need to be accomplished for your loved ones each day.
    Although hundreds of resources exist to help you, the hardest part can be finding what’s available. 
   Therefore, in addition to the Caregiver Connection newsletter, I am also pleased to make available to you several valuable resources via the “Senior Connection website.” This web-based one-stop Educational and Information center for Caregivers and Seniors is designed to save you time and money, as well as your sanity.
   The SeniorConnection.us website consists of a comprehensive Resource Directory, Articles on topics of relevance to caregivers and seniors, and informational Videos and Slideshows about agencies that offer help throughout Yavapai County.

SENIOR RESOURCES DIRECTORY

   The Resources Directory contains contact information for hundreds of local nonprofit, government and commercial agencies that provide helpful products and services to ease the life of caregivers. 
   Updated weekly, this searchable database will save you literally hundreds of research hours and connect you with nonprofit, government and commercial agencies that can help with every aspect of being a caregiver. 
   Categories include areas such as assisted living and skilled nursing facilities, in-home care providers, transportation, meal preparation and delivery, and financial assistance. 
   A search on one or more keywords results in all of the companies that provide a particular product or service. You can then print out the Profile of each agency that is of interest to you. 

   All on the website at: 
Senior Connection.us

INFORMATIONAL ARTICLES

Dozens of candid articles get right to the "heart of the matter," from both the Caregiver’s and Senior’s perspectives.

The Informational Articles section contains articles on a wide variety of topics relating to aging.

The articles are short and sweet, yet go directly to the heart of the matter of some of the most sensitive issues surrounding our fears and frustrations as caregivers.

No topic is off-limits and new articles are constantly being added to the website.

To read additional articles on a variety of topics, please visit the Articles section of the SeniorConnection.us website:

Articles

EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS

Educational Videos and Slideshows, narrated by recognized experts in the community, are posted on the website. Additionally, videos and slideshows featuring nonprofit and for-profit agencies that provide products or services to caregivers and seniors will be available at the website: 

Senior Connection.us