An estimated 53 million Americans are caregivers for older adults, according to the National Alliance for Caregiving. Wisconsin alone has approximately 580,000 family caregivers.
An Oct. 9 event is bringing together health professionals to talk about the needs of these family caregivers in diverse populations and discuss better ways to integrate their support.
The Southeastern Wisconsin Caregiving Symposium will be held at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Student Union Ballroom, 2200 E. Kenwood Blvd., from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
UWM’s Helen Bader School of Social Welfare and the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment at the Medical College of Wisconsin are co-sponsoring the symposium. Jason Resendez, president and CEO of the National Alliance of Caregiving, is the keynote speaker.
The program will feature interactive panel discussions with local experts who will share their successes and challenges. A number of caregiving support organizations will have resource tables, and the event will also include discussions of unmet needs in local communities.
“We are trying to offer opportunities for professionals to learn what other caregiving programs exist, what other organizations may or may not be doing, and facilitating the opportunities for professionals to learn from each other,” said Melinda S. Kavanaugh, UWM professor of social work, who is leading the symposium.
The challenges for caregiving organizations are the silos that can exist between those caregivers who live in different geographic areas or serve racially or ethnically specific organizations, she added. These organizations support the family caregivers who are the backbone of the system, Kavanaugh said.
The goals are to educate professionals and build coalitions of caregiving organizations to better integrate their efforts and learn from each other, she added.
The deadline to register online is Sept. 30 and the cost is $25, which includes breakfast and lunch.