The Validation Training Institute’s first “Caregiver Chew & Chat Week” runs from Sept. 24-30, 2016. The week is one of the main events of the organization’s first “I Validate to Connect” advocacy/fundraising campaign.
For caregivers who practice the Validation Method with older adults experiencing dementia, establishing a connection is essential.
Forming a connection helps lessen the stress for both caregivers and older adults because connection means understanding. Unfortunately, misconnection (and in-turn stress) is all too common for caregivers. A few statistics to consider:
• According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 15.9 million caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias in the U.S. provided an estimated 18.1 billion hours of unpaid assistance in 2015, a contribution to the nation valued at $221.3 billion.
• Behavioral expressions of need in nursing home residents with dementia have also been shown to be related to high turnover with staff, absenteeism and job dissatisfaction.
• Nearly 60 percent of caregivers of family members with Alzheimer’s and other dementias rated the emotional stress of caregiving as high or very high, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. In fact, the physical and emotional impacts on caregivers are estimated to have resulted in $9.7 billion in health care expenses in 2014 in the U.S.
Luckily, Validation is a tool that can help caregivers make connections!
Caregiver Chew & Chat Week
If you believe in the power of Validation, we encourage you to participate in our first “Caregiver Chew & Chat Week” running from Sept. 24-30, 2016. The week is one of the main events of the organization’s first “I Validate to Connect” fundraising/advocacy campaign.
During this time, we are encouraging caregivers to take a little time to “chew” (perhaps over a meal?) and “chat” with other caregivers (fellow family members, friends, co-workers, etc.) about how Validation can help or has helped in their lives. It’s as easy as 1-2-3.
- Take a photo with your group holding a sign that says “#IValidate2Connect”
- If you have a social media account, post the photo using #IValidate2Connect in your post. Then send us an e-mail with that same photo to info (at) vfvalidation (dot) org that we can publish on our social media outlets and blog.
- Collect donations from all the caregivers and give at our Generosity page.
That’s it. Easy, right? And fun!
The group with the biggest donation will win some pretty cool stuff. Please see the rules below.
Suggested/possible activities may include:
• A shared meal or drink
• A group walk
You get the idea. Get together, talk, bond and raise funds and awareness about the Validation Method! After the week concludes, we will announce which group raised the most money for VTI.
Rules:
• Your group must have a name.
• Groups should have at least two-plus people
• To be eligible, your group must send a photo (featuring a sign held by the group that says, “#IValidate2Connect”) to info (at) vfvalidation (dot) org that we can post on our social media outlets.
• Donations from the Chew & Chat week are due by Oct. 30, 2016 to be eligible the awards listed below.
• Have fun!
The Chew & Chat group with the largest group donation will receive:
• A listing on the VTI campaign page
• A one-hour, online presentation for your group with VTI Executive Director Vicki de Klerk-Rubin and Naomi Feil (up to 20 people). A minimum of $100 in donations is required for eligibility.
For more on the campaign, visit https://vfvalidation.org/ivalidate/.