Ok, we don't want to brag...
When we, at the Family Support Committee say that we are going to give care to the caregiver, that is exactly what we mean. We had a lovely brunch with bagels and cream cheese, coffee, then a morning with massage, and some great presenters who spoke on caregiver topics. First, Ian Punnett, from 107FM. He spoke about humor as a tool for the caregiver. He told some good stories and some funny jokes. We had a blast with him ( a brave soul as the only man in the room!). Thanks to him for speaking to us. You can get more information about Ian and his radio show by clicking on Jean and Ian.
After Ian, we had Diane Hovey, from the Family Institute for Creative well being. We did some lovely poetry, and talked about what is going on in her organization and managing stress through creative expression. Click on this sunrise to get more information on her program.
Robin Ricks spoke to us about Feng shui She talked to us about how Feng Shui affects people’s lives We had a lively discussion about tips on how to make our homes environments that feel calm and smooth. Robin gave out several copies of her Feng shui instructor Carole Hyder's'book Titled: "Living Feng Shui: Personal Stories". For more information on that book, click here for Living Feng Shui book. And to contact Robin, you may e mail her at: blueskyrobin@aol.com.
From Children's hospital and clinics integrative medicine clinic, we had Maura Fitzgerald. She gave us some very good information about using aroma therapy. She talked about how to do it, and what it can do to help. She is a clinical nurse at children's hospital and gave us some advise about how to access those services should our child be hospitalized. For more information on her program, click on the lavender buds.
After a lovely lunch from Eddingtons, we had Terri Tacheny a harpist from St. Paul who spoke to us about music and it's properties. Terri played her harp throughout the day. She set the stage for a very relaxing morning. As people walked in, they listened to her lovely playing. Through her example alone, she gave us proof that we can use music to make our environment calm and soothing.
Next, we had a fabulous massage therapist, Bethann Barankovich, from Minneapolis. Not only did she (and her helper Connie Kishel, thanks Connie) hand out a lovely neck and shoulder massage to conference goers, but she gave us some great information about the benefits of massage and some advise about choosing a massage therapist. Contact Bethann at: bethann@bitstream.net .
To wrap up the day, we did some yoga with a very talented instructor from St. Paul Theresa Davenport. It was a very relaxing way to end the day. We sat in our chairs and stretched and moved our bodies. Theresa has a pleasant voice to listen to and was the perfect end to the perfect day. If you want to explore yoga for yourself, click on the woman doing some yoga to get to St. Paul community education to find yoga classes in your neighborhood.
. We had a very nice time and some very good information for parents, other caregivers and service providers. We got some great feed back from the attendees. We plan on doing a similar event next year. I don't want to brag... but we had a chocolate fountain.
by Rhonda DeBough-Insook