“There are only four kinds of people in the world: those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers.”
-  the late Rosalynn Carter

The ASURA March 2024 seminar focused on caregivers and featured speakers from the Area Agency on Aging, Duet Partners in Health & Aging and Trualta. 

Patrica Dominguez from Duet Partners in Health & Aging was the first speaker to present.  She gave a brief overview of Duet’s mission which is based on the concept of one person helping another.  Duet partners with individuals, businesses, non-profits, and agencies such as the Area Agency on Aging to make that happen.  Their goal is to respond to needs that are not being met through other organizations. She focused in on the programs they have for grandparents and the grandchildren under their care.  Duet provides opportunities for the grandchildren to be involved in activities outside of the home, such as sports, art programs and fun time gatherings.  They also provide opportunities for grandparents to socialize with other grandparents, educational programs, information and referral services, and family support coordination.  In addition to the individual programs, Duet provides what they call “grandfamily outing/retreats” which are held monthly and include things like trips to the zoo or museums, bowling or pool parties, to name a few.  Patricia provided the slide deck that accompanies her portion of the seminar, which includes contact information, and can be found here.

Next up was Darci Henry from Trualta.  Darci started her presentation by giving us the quote from the late Rosalynn Carter on caregiving.  She then went on to describe Trualta which is an interactive eLearning platform to help manage care for individuals at home.  There are many topics in the Trualta library that an individual can choose from.  The topics are divided into short, quick lessons that have been created by experts in aging and professionally adapted to caregivers. No special apps are required, just a web browser.  Darci walked us through the enrollment process and explained how based on information we provide, the system will learn our needs/interests and custom build an educational program based on those needs/interests.  In addition to lessons, Trualta provides articles, resources and videos on a wide range of topics.  There is also a community chat feature within Trualta where you can engage in discussions with other people on a topic or join a support group.  Darci pointed out that the community chat and support group features can be anonymous participation.  Last, but not least, Trualta provides webinars for those people who aren’t ready for a support group but need help and answers to questions and concerns they have.  Darci’s slide deck for her portion of the seminar which includes contact information can be found here.

The final presenter for the seminar was Michael Harper from the Area Agency for Aging.  Michael provided information on the programs for seniors and caregivers offered by the Area Agency on Aging.  The 24-hour Senior Help Line central intake program that anyone needing services from the agency contact to get things started.  The number for the Help Line is 602-264-4357.  You can call this number and request a copy of their resource guide be mailed to you, or you can access the PDF version online – Area Agency on Aging Resource Guide.  Michael’s slide deck for his part of the presentation, which includes contact information, can be found here.

Michael also provided a link to agencies, similar to the Area Agency on Aging, in other counties throughout Arizona - https://arizonaaging.org/area-agencies/.