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Series explores elder care, aging
BY ANNE BURKE
UCLA Today Staff
More and more, UCLA faculty and staff are juggling career demands
with those of caring for elderly relatives. Many times, they struggle
alone; co-workers and supervisors are often unaware that the person
in the office next door may be dealing with a stressful and time-consuming
elder care problem.
But elder care is a workplace issue as well as a personal concern,
said Nan Levine-Mann, co-director of the UCLA Staff and Faculty
Counseling Center.
“We have people who go to work, go home and fix supper for
their family, then go and visit an elderly relative,” Levine-Mann
said. “It really takes a toll on the health of the caregiver,
and it definitely has an impact on the workplace.”
Caregivers needn’t struggle on their own. Starting next
month, the Staff and Faculty Counseling Center will offer a four-part
“Learn-at-Lunch” lecture series designed to help staff
and faculty cope with caregiving and plan for their own aging.
The Wednesday series kicks off March 31 and continues April 14,
April 28 and May 5. All talks will be noon to 1 p.m. at the Louis
Jolyon West Auditorium in the NPI Building.
Topics will include upcoming changes in the long-term care industry,
the effect of aging on memory, tackling the challenges of elder
care and dealing with difficult behaviors in the elderly. The series
is free and open to staff, faculty and their significant others.
Apart from the lecture series, the counseling center offers free
consultation and referrals. “We have our own network to get
people connected with the right kinds of services, which can save
a lot of time,” Levine-Mann said.
The center also will sponsor talks on other topics in its work/life
series for employees. On March 4, “Minding the Pain”
will feature author and lecturer Arthur P. Smith discussing the
psychological components to treating chronic pain. Set for noon
to 1 p.m. at 10920 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 380, his presentation will
highlight the latest developments in mind-body medicine.
To reserve, call (310) 794-0245.
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