10/27/2004
Residents of Central and Southwestern Virginia caring for loved ones with brain tumors at home will have an opportunity to learn critical caregiving skills at a unique series of workshops offered by the University of Virginia Health System in cooperation with the National Brain Tumor Foundation.
The free, one-day caregiver training course will take place on Friday,Nov. 5, 2004 from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm at Classrooms A,B and C on the 2nd floor of Jordan Hall on the U.Va. grounds in Charlottesville. Advanced registration is required.
Speakers at the workshop will include Dr. Elana Farace, a neuropsychologist at U.Va. with a specialty in promoting quality of life in brain tumor patients, and Dr. Leslie Blackhall, a U.Va. physician with a specialty in palliative care. Other speakers include a neuro-oncologist, specialized nursing staff, a social worker, a physical and occupational therapist and more.
Over 190,000 people are diagnosed with a brain tumor in the United States each year. Many of these patents are well enough to leave the hospital but need quite a bit of additional care. While families may be adept at caring for loved ones with commonillnesses, new skills are required for those giving aid and comfort to people with braintumors.
The NBTF has developed a set of caregiver trainings over the last three years to give caregivers the basic skills and resources necessary to provide care, as well as survive the stress of such a challenge. To address these issues, NBTF, with funding from the Argosy Foundation, has developed the National Caregiver Training Program, a day-long workshop for family caregivers. In addition to learning new skills, each participant will have the opportunity to meet other caregivers for sharing support and advice and widen their pool of available resources.
The National Brain Tumor Foundation, founded in 1981, is a national non-profit agency dedicated to supporting brain tumor patients and caregivers and to raising funds for brain tumor research seeking.
To register for the workshops, and for more information about brain tumors, call the National Brain Tumor Foundation at (800) 934-2873, extension 103. Or visit their web site at www.braintumor.org.
