Alzheimer's Caregiving at Home: A Five-Part Workshop Planning Kit
Assistive Technology
GrandCares
Montana Kinship Navigator Program (previously Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Project
GRG)
MSU Extension Addressing Mental Health in Non-Clinical Settings
Opioid Use Disorder in Rural Montana: From Insight to Education
Parenting the Second Time Around (PASTA)
Powerful Tools for Caregivers (PTC)
4-Health Parent Education Program
Alzheimer's Caregiving at Home: A 5-Part Workshop Planning Kit
Alzheimer's disease knows no boundaries and all communities face the challenges of
caring for families needing support and guidance. As the number of people suffering
from or caring for someone with Alzheimer's grows, the need for information on caregiving
increases. This workshop planning kit is designed to provide educators and health
care providers with successful presentation tools and resources to conduct workshops
for non-professional individuals providing informal, at-home caregiving.
Workshop Topics Contained in this Kit:
-
Alzheimer's awareness
-
Home adaptations
-
Managing caregiver stress
-
Financial and legal issues
-
Nutritional considerations
Workshop Kit Contents:
-
Presentation PowerPoints with workshop lesson plans
-
Participant fact sheets
-
Directory of Alzheimer's support resources
-
"Family Guide to Alzheimer's Disease" video/DVD sampler: Understanding Alzheimer's,
Behavior issues, Daily life, Family Caregiving & Transitions
-
"Protecting Your Retirement & Other Financial Information for Family Caregivers: What
Every Adult Child Should Know" video/CD
Assistive Technology
People of all ages with disabilities or difficulty with physical functions can remain
in independent living situations if they have assistive technology solutions to deal
with everyday difficult tasks. Assistive Technology is a collaborative effort of the
University of Montana Rural Institute of Montana Assistive Technology Program and
Montana State University Extension-Family and Consumer Sciences.
Assistive technology devices work by either enhancing an individual's existing abilities
or by compensating for absent or diminished skills. This program introduces tools
that can improve an individual's ability to perform specific tasks, increase functional
capabilities, and become or remain more safely independent. It offers suggestions
for items that can be fabricated from easily available materials as well as items
that have been designed for purchase.
Assistive Technology teaching kits are available for check-out in three Extension
Office locations in Montana. The kits contain a PowerPoint presentation in addition
to actual examples of assistive devices. They may be reserved and checked out from
the following:
GrandCares
GrandCares is a program the meets once a week for six weeks and offers grandparents
raising grandchildren and other relative caregivers the opportunity to learn skills
and acquire tools to manage the stress of raising children, many of them with special
needs. GrandCares utilizes the evidence-based education program, Powerful Tools for
Caregivers (PTC) for Caregivers of Children with Special Health and Behavioral Needs.
GrandCares is being offered in Montana through Montana State University Extension,
Family & Human Development Program, as part of a pilot project with University of
Hawaii and Colorado State University.
Montana Kinship Navigator Program
(previously Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Project GRG)In Montana, and other areas around the country, there is a growing population of grandparents
who are called upon to be the primary care giver(s) to their grandchildren. Today,
more than 6,600 grandparents in Montana are raising their grandchildren. As a result
of the increasing need, Montana State University Extension has teamed up with Montana
DPHHS, Montana AARP, and several other state agencies and organizations to provide
services and support to grandparents who are faced with the challenges associated
with raising their grandchildren.
Read the full information about the
Montana Kinship Navigator Program
(previously the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Project)
MSU Extension Addressing Mental Health in Non-Clinical Settings
Youth Aware of Mental Health (YAM) is a universal intervention (delivered to all youth
of a group/class) mental health promotion program that aims to raise mental health
awareness about risk and protective factors associated with suicide, including knowledge
about depression and anxiety, and to enhance the skills and emotional resiliency needed
to deal with stress and crisis. The format of the YAM intervention empowers youth
to think, verbalize, and discuss important mental health issues, such as suicide,
in a context that is meaningful to them.
Opioid Use Disorder in Rural Montana: From Insight to Education
The Opioid Use Disorder in Rural Montana project provides evidence-based training
on opioid prevention, treatment, and recovery. The project is a statewide collaboration
involving the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, the Montana
Healthcare Foundation, county and tribal MSU Extension offices, and key community
and tribal partners.
Parenting the Second Time Around (PASTA)
Developed by Cornell Cooperative Extension, Parenting The Second Time Around contains
outlines for six workshops, with handouts and supplementary materials, including evaluation
tools. Each workshop is planned for a two-hour block of time.
Topics include information about:
- Child development
- Discipline and guidance
- Acknowledging ambivalent feelings
- Rebuilding a family
- Legal issues (including 2004 update)
- Advocacy
Powerful Tools for Caregivers
Powerful tools is an educational program that provides family caregivers with the
skills and confidence to better care for themselves while caring for someone with
a chronic illness. PTC consists of six 90 minute or 2-1/2 hour classes co-led by trained
facilitators who employ a standardized curriculum.
In the six-week PTC class, caregivers learn how to:
- Utilize community resources
- Better manage stress
- Communicate effectively with friends, family & healthcare providers
- Cope with difficult emotions
- Take better steps to care for themselves
4-Health Parent Education Program
4-Health is a research-based parent/kinship caregiver education program developed
specifically for rural Montana families. The program focuses on food and nutrition,
physical activity, positive body image, and parenting/kinship caregiver and family
communication in order to promote healthy lifestyles for both children and parents.
