When caring for loved ones who have a serious illness, people often forget to take care of themselves. To help caregivers learn and practice resilience and self-care, Samaritan Evergreen Hospice is offering a free, eight-week training this fall in Newport.
Led by Anna Looney, PhD, a certified facilitator in mind-body medicine, the training will take place on Thursdays, starting Sept. 5, from noon to 2 p.m. at the Center for Health Education, 740 SW Ninth St., Newport.
Designed to help caregivers discover ways to decrease feelings of hopelessness, depression and anxiety, each session of the training will focus on a proven self-care technique for reducing stress, tension and fatigue, and for increasing resilience, calmness and joy. Through confidential and facilitated discussions, participants can feel the support of others who understand the demands of end-of-life caregiving.
The training will follow a self-care model developed by James Gordon, MD, founder of The Center for Mind-Body Medicine. Each week, the group will explore a different topic on self-awareness and self-care, practice a basic breathing meditation and other techniques to reduce stress, and share their experiences in the group.
While there is no cost to participate, group size is limited, and registration is required. To register, or to get additional information, contact Looney.
This training is free of charge for participants thanks to employee donations to the Samaritan Employee Caring Campaign through the Pacific Communities Health District Foundation.