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TAKING CARE Patty Saponaro (left) chats with Lois Martin at the Charles House in Carrboro as Laura Kellison, the University's work/family manager, looks on. Saponaro is executive director of the award-winning adult day program, and Martin is the mother-in-law of a University employee. The Charles House, which offers Carolina employees a 10 percent discount, will host the University's first Elder Care Fair from 6 to 8 p.m. on Feb. 10. Call Kellison at 2-6008 for more information.

Carolina Family Matters

Support available to staff caring for older relatives and parents

Editor's note: The following is the first installment of an occasional Gazette column on resources for families at Carolina.

Take out a piece of paper. Make a list of all of the people you take care of -- a few or many. Are you finished? Look at that list. Are you on it? For most people, the answer is "no." It is not unusual for us to neglect our own needs to take care of our families, our spouses and our parents. Who has the time to take care of ourselves? One person recently said to me, "I'll rest when I collapse." Hopefully, we can all agree that is not the optimal way to get rest!

Even if it is difficult to imagine, investing in the care of yourself is the best way to care for the people you love. The first step in self-care is to learn what support and services are available. Carolina's Employee Services Department in the Office of Human Resources is a great place to start. That's where you'll find me. My name is Laura Kellison, and I'm the work/family manager for the University.

One of my primary roles is to help staff, faculty and/or students locate child care or elder care resources. I am here to help provide or locate literature, support, training and workshop opportunities, community resources, and ideas for you. I welcome appointments for a consultation of any kind and phone calls or e-mails anytime (2-1483, laura _kellison@ unc.edu). Chances are if I don't have the resource or information, I can help you find it.

Are you caring for or planning to care for an aging relative or parent? Caring for an elderly relative requires multiple skills and a wealth of knowledge. Adding to the challenge is that the caregiver needs to learn systems and health facts on an urgent basis with little time to examine options and information fully. Another common challenge is caring for an older family member from a distance, navigating their needs and learning their local resources.

Most often, adults have an aging relative nearby or in their home. Statistics indicate that families provide informal care for nearly 80 percent of all frail older adults. Many adults are sandwiched between caring for children and an older relative simultaneously -- while working a full-time job. More and more universities and corporations are recognizing that a high percentage of their employees are overwhelmed with this juggling act. The financial, logistical, emotional and physical stress is enormous. The consequences often are poor or inconsistent job performance, health concerns of the employee, low morale and high turnover rates.

To raise awareness of elder care issues, the United Nations has declared 1999 "The International Year of Older Persons." This spring the Employee Services Department is collaborating with the UNC Health Care System to celebrate this special year with two exciting events.

First, Carolina and the UNC Health Care System are joining Orange County's award-winning adult day program, the Charles House Adult Day Program, to host an Elder Care/Care Giver Community Resources Open House. This event is for Carolina and UNC health care staff to come and learn about the elder care resources in the community, valuable University discounts and the Charles House Adult Day Care Center. It will be held on Feb. 10 (rain date Feb. 11) from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Charles House at 109 Hillcrest Street in Carrboro (phone: 967-7570).

The second event is a "lunch and learn" series for elder care/care givers. It starts March 4 and will run through April 29, meeting every Thursday from noon to 1:30 p.m. at 725 Airport Road. Please see listing above for topics and registration numbers. Call Training & Development at 2-2550 for further registration information or call Employee Services for information about content (2-1483). Information also is available at the Training & Development web site -- http:// ais.unc.edu/hr/t&d/ This series is open to all University and UNC Health Care System employees.

• March 4, Room 150: The Powers and Purposes of Living Wills, Health & Durable Power(s) of Attorney, Medicaid and other Legal Issues (course #WO 2004, section 0001-99)
• March 11, Room 150: Parenting Your Aging Parent - Redefining Your Roles (course #WO 2005, section 0001-99)
• March 18, Room 150: Self Care for the Care Giver (course #WO 2006, section 0001-99)
• March 25, Room 102: Medications in the Elderly: Drug Interactions, Over-Medicating and Financing (course #WO 2007, section 0001-99)
• April 1, Room 150: Long Distance Care Giving to Adults (course #WO 2008, section 0001-99)
• April 8, Room 150: Nutrition and the Older Adult: Changing Needs Meal Planning and Practical Solutions (course #WO 2009, section 0001-99)
• April 15, Room 102: Panel: Levels of Residential Care for your Aging Family Member: How to decide what's right for your family? (course #WO 2010, section 0001-99)
• April 22, Room 102: Communicating (and Coping) with a Resistant Aging Parent or Relative (course #WO 2012, section 0001-99)
• April 29, Room 150: You Can & Should Ask That Question: The days of silence are far-gone (course #WO 2013, section 0001-99)
• May 6, Room 150: Benefits and Aging… How to Plan for You and Your Family (course #WO 2014, section 0001-99)

Carolina Family Matters provided by Employee Services Department in the Office of Human Resources.

Writer: Laura Kellison, work/family manager

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