We are hosting our first CARGIVERS Relax event on Thursday, August 14th, at Porter Sandford Performing Arts & Community Center from 11 AM - 2PM. To register to attend, go to EVENTBRITE and search CAREGIVERS RELAX. As part of our continuing conversation on CAREGIVERS, I reached out to LaCrystal Stokes Hogan, a social worker and healthcare consultant who counsels families in transition.
I met Stokes-Hogan at an Alzheimer’s Association event in June, where she spoke about counseling families concerning elder care and other services. I asked her to tell us about the professionals who counsel families about elder care and the transitions that come along with caregiving and aging.
Stokes-Hogan speaks about social workers, legal professionals, and others who specialize in working with families as they balance life and face decisions many never considered. Some examples include decisions to take away driving privileges or to move a parent into assisted living facilities. Stokes-Hogan explains that working with a counselor can help with the critical conversations needed for the decision-making process.
I ask Stokes-Hogan about coming to terms with the limitations that aging brings. Even caregivers have to face the fact that they may not be able to do what they used to do. She speaks to the “fight or flight” response humans experience when faced with uncomfortable change. She says we need to learn to let go and focus on what needs to happen today. She emphasizes that caregivers need to prioritize their care and reminds us of the phrase to “put your oxygen mask on before helping others.”