Let’s Experience: So You’re a Caregiver, Now What?
Jessica C. Guthrie says, “I often tell people that being my mother’s full-time caregiver was not on my 5-year plan or my vision board. I never thought that my life would completely change at 26 years old and that I’d still be caring for her 10 years later. I can honestly say there is no perfect score you get for being a great caregiver, or prize you win for mastering a skill, or even a grand celebration for getting through a new stage of your person’s disease.”
Your caregiving journey will be filled with loneliness, frustration, doubt, fear, anxiety but also joy, love and compassion.
During this session, participants will:
- Uncover some of the common challenges and opportunities we face as caregivers
- Articulate strategies for addressing your common caregiving challenges
- Reflect on our own mindsets & orientation toward our caregiving experiences
- Create an initial game plan for how you desire to get unstuck and move forward on your journey
Dr. Toni P. Miles, an RCI Visiting Scholar who serves as an Adjunct Professor at Morehouse School of Medicine, will offer remarks and provide insights into caregiver bereavement.
Jessica C. Guthrie is a visionary leader dedicated to reshaping the landscape of caregiving. She champions the cause of providing dignified, respectful, and compassionate care for loved ones. She believes in the power of deep empathy, patience, and unwavering curiosity, even in the face of adversity.
As a caregiver of her mother living with Alzheimer’s Disease, Jessica has observed the challenges faced by families, particularly those caring for individuals with dementia. She emphasizes the need for a fundamental shift in the way caregiving is approached, involving individuals, families, and healthcare professionals working in synergy. Through her platform "Career & Caregiving Collide™," Jessica shares her insights and pioneering ideas, guiding others in navigating the intersection of their professional careers and caregiving responsibilities. Her mission is to amplify diverse caregiving narratives and ensure caregivers feel fully supported.
Jessica brings over 13 years of experience in the education and non-profit management & leadership fields. She is now using her experiences to drive her own entrepreneurial efforts to create a better, more equipped world for caregivers and their loved ones. She received her degree in Sociology & Education Policy at Dartmouth College and Master’s degree in Educational Leadership & Policy from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX.
Dr. Toni P. Miles is an RCI Visiting Scholar who serves as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine at Morehouse School of Medicine. Dr. Miles brings a wealth of expertise in the fields of caregiving, geriatrics, chronic diseases, health disparities, and bereavement. Dr. Miles is advising on a broad portfolio of RCI programs and initiatives, while building the partnership between RCI and Morehouse College.
Dr. Miles is a physician and epidemiologist by training, and her expertise has been recognized with Fellow status in both the Gerontological Society of America and the American Association of Public Health. Since 2010, she has focused on the health effects of bereavement. In 2020, she completed the first ever state-wide survey of new bereavement in Georgia, in partnership with the Georgia Department of Public Health and the Retirement Research Foundation. Based on these data, Georgia is now poised to lead the nation in policies to reduce the negative impacts of grief and loss.
About the Series
Cultivating Caregiving: Seeds of Sorrow, Gardens of Growth
More than 53 million unpaid Americans provide care to a spouse, elderly parent or relative, or to a child with special needs. The caregiving experience most often includes struggle, stress, fatigue, guilt, and grief. But can it also be a life-transforming experience to find purpose? A discovery of what matters most for you and the person in your care?
Caregiving is commonly described as an experience in which caregivers cultivate resilience and endurance. But are there opportunities for caregivers to not only bounce back, but also bounce forward? Is there a new appreciation for life? A chance to rebuild a relationship? A possibility to increase personal strength and collective solidarity with other family caregivers?
Programming produced by Reimagine staff and its collaborative community of event hosts will focus on a number of themes related to caregiving:
- For caregivers of all ages, what kind of support, resources, and opportunities are available?
- What are the ways in which caregivers navigate and process anticipatory grief as their loved ones decline?
- What challenges and opportunities are there for long-distance caregivers?
- What solutions are there to our crisis of care and the absence of guaranteed paid leave?
- How are health systems and workplaces adapting to the needs of caregivers, particularly those from immigrant families, those of diverse cultural, spiritual, and faith traditions, and those with limited English proficiency?
- What do you say to a burnt-out family caregiver to provide them with comfort? Better yet, what do you DO for them?
About RCI
The Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers was established in 1987 by former First Lady Rosalynn Carter to promote the health, strength, and resilience of America’s 53 million family caregivers. RCI fulfills its promise to champion the family caregiver by building cross-sector partnerships, leading research projects and strategic initiatives, developing and implementing evidence-based programs, and advocating for public policy.
About Reimagine
Reimagine is a nonprofit organization catalyzing a uniquely powerful community–people of different backgrounds, ages, races, and faiths (and no faith) coming together in the hopes of healing ourselves and the world. We specifically support each other in facing adversity, loss, and mortality and–at our own pace– actively channeling life's biggest challenges into meaningful action and growth.
Type:
Workshop
