Topic and speaker for Oct 18 and 25

Today and next Sunday Rev. Joe Trombetta, who has ministered in a hospice program for 25

years and to a relative with Alzheimer’s, will teach the Caring for Caregivers class at 11:00 am at 315

S. 17th Street, 1Rear.

Upcoming speakers...

Dear friends,

I want to invite you to visit our Caring for Caregivers class that meets at 11:00 a.m on Sunday morning. This week Dr. Deborah Armstrong and a pastor friend from Allentown will teach about building spiritual and psychological resiliance while cargiving.

Then, for the next two weeks, Rev.Joe Trombetta, who has been in hospice ministry for 25 years, and who had a relative with Alzheimer's living in his home in recent years, will talk about ministering to elderly parents.

I'm also working on scheduling a doctor to talk about medical issues with elderly patients, and Bruce Gunther has promised to do class on the legal aspects of caregiving: power of attorney, wills, advance directives, estates, etc.

I understand that 11:00 a.m. is not the most convenient meeting time for many of you. Since we ran out of space at the 9:00 a.m. hour I really needed to schedule this class for the 11:00 am. hour.

Sincerely in Christ,

Cora

An Update from Cheryl B.

Last week I attended the first Caring for the Caregiver Sunday School class, and there were just two couples and myself there to talk and compare stories about the particular caregiving situations in which we find ourselves. We ranged from one family having an elderly and ill mother living in house, to another family having a 90 y/o still living in his own home in a state on the other side of the country. They help him in a long distance sort of way, with the occasional long and costly flight back and forth; and then my situation is in between (my Mom living in her own apartment and pretty independent, but close enough for me to drive back and forth to visit her and to see her needing more help but not having a way to answer that need).

All three families who made it to the S.S. Class are grieving at one level or another over the situations in which we find ourselves, and all are working through that and doing what we can as our parents move into this final stage of life.

There is no doubt in my mind that there are many others in the Tenth Community who are dealing with these types of situations or some variation on these themes.

I suspect that the attendance at this class will not be high, as people are very busy and involved at other places in the church during the 11 o'clock service which is when the class is scheduled. In fact, I will not be able to attend it regularly after tomorrow because of prior commitments.

Dennis and Cheryl Sanfacon will be hosting the class throughout the rest of the quarter; I am looking forward to the helpful and encouraging information which the Sanfacons and other speakers will be offering each week and hope to encourage and be encouraged by the others who attend.

Dear friends...

This autumn quarter in Adult Bible School we are planning to do another class on "Caring for the Caregivers" for people who are caring for family members with special needs, whether elderly parents or other family members who need special care.

Although we have done this course once, we are rethinking what to include and what format this will take, and as caretakers, past or present, I wonder what would be most helpful to all of you. That is, what areas would you find it most helpful to discuss? What kind of things would be most supportive and encouraging to you? What kind of information do you need? I am planning to ask Bruce Gunther, for instance, to talk about legal matters: power of attorney, wills, living wills, etc.but I am sure that there will be more information that would be helpful, I'm just not usre right now what that might be.

I anxiously await your input!

Thanks,
Cora