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For those caring for their aging parents or other dependent adults, a new elder care email digest offers campus subscribers the opportunity to share advice, information and support. Interested individuals can email carers@uclink.berkeley.edu to subscribe. The digest will be similar in format to the popular UCB Parents Digest, which for several years has provided the campus with a forum for parenting issues. CARE Services, the campus staff and faculty assistance program, offers an elder care counselor, Norma Grimm, who has helped people across campus care for their aging family members and other dependent adults. Grimm is available to answer questions, help set priorities, help locate resources and offer support. To augment the program, CARE also offers: Elder Care Web Page In its infancy, the web page, which is part of the faculty and staff pages of the University Health Services web site, describes elder care assistance available through CARE and information on the speakers series below. The address is www.uhs.berkeley.edu/facstaff. Brown Bag Speaker Series A series of noontime lectures, on two themes, is now underway. Sessions on "Information to Facilitate Caregiving" are held from noon to 1:30 p.m. the second Friday of each month through May. The topic for March 13 is "Community Resources for Seniors," including in-home care, home-delivered meals, transportation, care management and counseling services. The second lecture series, on "Taking Care of Yourself as a Caregiver," is held from noon to 1:30 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of each month through May. The noontime discussion for Thursday, Feb. 26, is "Using Humor to Cope with Caregiving Stress." All noontime lectures/discussions take place in the Tang Center's Education Center. The last half hour of each meeting is reserved for discussion. Lectures are free and no enrollment is required. Support Groups Ongoing noontime peer support groups are geared to specific needs. For example, one group focuses on those with family members in nursing homes, another is for long-distance caregivers. Call 642-6621 for information on the elder care email digest. Call CARE at 643-7754 for information on counseling, the web site, the
brown bag series and support groups.
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