Submitted by Hospice of San Juan

Hospice of San Juan will offer free training for new volunteers and paid caregivers on the first three Saturdays of October: Oct. 6, 13 and 20.

Over the three days, hands-on training will be provided, and instruction on a wide variety of situations frequently encountered when providing care to homebound people: handling dementia-related behavior; meeting nutritional challenges; navigating family communication; caring for fragile skin and bodies; protecting your own body when caring for bed-bound persons; when to call 911; how to provide CPR; and being both mindful of healthy boundaries and aware of ethical approaches to uncertain situations. A full list of course topics and faculty may be found at http://hospiceofsanjuan.org/caregiver-resources.html.

Hospice of San Juan’s primary mission is respectful care of those facing life-limiting illness; one of the hospice’s five service areas is providing respite to caregivers. To provide the best respite care possible, Hospice San Juan trains all their volunteers and is now offering this opportunity to primary caregivers. Thanks to funding from The Mary See Foundation and San Juan Island Community Foundation, they are able to provide training targeted toward hospice volunteers and community caregivers at no charge to participants. Everyone completing the three days of training will receive a certificate of completion that is honored by the Mullis Community Senior Center and Village at the Harbour.

Preregistration is open. Training is free and lunch is included. Space is limited, so fill out the preregistration at https://hospiceofsanjuan.org today.