Local caregivers help eastern Idaho learn to care for family members

With the huge growth of the senior population in eastern Idaho, family members are starting to assume the role of a caregiver. A lot of these times given with little or too no warning. For many, this is new territory and can be overwhelming. A few people want to change all of that by providing local resources for educating family caregivers.

“We deal a lot with seniors that are needing some caregiving,” said Scott Holmes, a co-instructor and CEO/owner of Visiting Angels. “We find the children or the spouse often thrusted into the caregiving role and not knowing which way to turn. We saw a need in this community for a comprehensive training of family caregivers.”

Scott Holmes and Lisa Baxter Hong, a co-instructor and owner of Generations Occupational Therapy, are helping with that need by collaborating with the college of eastern Idaho to offer a family caregiving class in October.

“Caregivers are definitely not prepared to jump into this role,” Hong said. “They’re often forced into it for one reason or another, so they struggle. We care not only about the person needing care but also the caregiver.”

Holmes and Hong say that caregivers often times are overworked or burnt out because they do not have the tools. They believe that through this class they will be able to learn to be successful in the caregiver role.

“We’re basically teaching here is what we practice every day and we’ve learned over the years in our practices what are good ways to care give and what are not so good ways to care give,” Holmes said. “We just want to share that with the community.”

The course consists of eight modules taught over eight two-hour long classes. Lessons will include creating and managing care plans, fall prevention & safety, communication and even personal care.
“There are so many issues that can impact the caregiver themselves, the impact on their immediate family, the impact on their career, their retirement, their finances and also the impact on the relationship,” Holmes said. “It changes so drastically when you wear that caregiver hat.”

CEI provides tons of workforce training and community education classes on campus- Including other senior care classes. The community college is very excited for the new, upcoming class.

“It is personally fulfilling to us to make sure that we can help provide those kinds of skills and resources,” said Michelle Holt, the executive director for Workforce Training and Community Education for CEI. “Anytime that we can have a member of the community that wants to share their expertise, we will bend over backward to try and make that possible.”

Holmes and Hong have high hopes for the course.

“I just find it very rewarding to work with caregivers,” Hong said. “They bring so many things to the table and the minute that I think I know a lot about this subject somebody comes along and teaches me more. That’s so rewarding.”

“Senior Care Giving in the Home” course begins on October 2. It runs Tuesday and Thursday nights from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m for the month of October. The course costs $99.

For more information on the course click HERE.