Tucson company offering free, online training to family caregivers

Tucson company offering free, online training to family caregivers

Founders of a Tucson company, The Gift of Caring, are offering a free all-day training session online for family caregivers Saturday, June 29.

The summit offers “training aimed to help and assist family caregivers to provide better care to their aging loved ones while keeping a balanced life and reducing stress,” said Laura Oldaker, who along with her husband, Justin, founded the online training organization in July 2018.

Keynote speaker Teepa Snow, among leading advocates and educators for those living with dementia, will give a session, “New Dementia Care Model: Positive Approach to Care.”

Snow, of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is an occupational therapist with 40 years of clinical and academic experience. Her talk will cover tips and techniques for caregivers to provide better care to their family member living with dementia.

Other speakers include Nick Demos of Los Angeles, the filmmaker who created the award-winning “Policy of Truth,” a short film on Alzheimer’s; author, businesswoman and motivational speaker Beate Chelette of Culver City, California, will talk about the importance of not losing who you are while being a caregiver; and Cecil Rinker of Tucson is a senior housing consultant who assists seniors and their families with the transition to independent, assisted-living and memory-care communities.

To learn more about the webinar-style training, which runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., visit the company’s website at Thegiftofcaring.com or call 338-4402. Those who register for the summit will be provided a link to the recorded sessions.

The Oldakers, who are hosting the summit, care for their aging parents. Their parents are in their 70s, and both caregivers are familiar with the stress that comes with the job, said Laura Oldaker, who worked as a professional caregiver and operated a caregiving agency before transitioning into caregiver training and education.

In addition to the Gift of Caring, the Oldakers operate Academy for Caregiving Excellence, which trains caregivers and certified nursing assistants.

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