NSU has developed a new program that will provide support for its employees who devote their time and resources to the long-term care of others.
Dr. Michelle Gagnon-Blodgett is the coor-dinator of the Caregiver Alliance Program and developed the program to help build stress management opportunities for caregivers.
“Being a caregiver is a full-time job within itself. The burden of taking care of someone who has an illness, whether it is a physical handicap or a mental disorder, can be tremendously hard and distracting on a person,” said Gagnon-Blodgett.
According to a survey conducted by the American Association for Retired Persons in collaboration with the National Alliance for Caregivers, the most common unmet needs of caregivers are finding time for one’s self, managing emotional and physical stress, and balancing work and family responsibilities.
The Caregiver Alliance Program is structured to create a buddy network among NSU employees who are caregivers. Gagnon-Blodgett said that the goal is to have participants establish a bond through communication and relationships.
Participants will meet every second Wednesday of each month in the Alvin Sherman Library where they will bring their own lunches and listen to guest speakers’ presentations on various topics pertaining to caregivers and their needs.
Jazsmine Carter, sophomore biology major and student employee at the Commons, said, “This is a great way to create communication between other caregivers on campus. It also shows that NSU not only thinks of its employees as just workers, but as members of a family.”
Gagnon-Blodgett said that NSU has all the necessary resources and experts needed to make the program successful. NSU faculty members have agreed to participate in the program serving as speakers and other resources.
The first meeting takes place on Oct. 13 in Room 4009 of the library. Gagnon-Blodgett will be the presenter. A program schedule is available at www.nova.edu/wellness/caregiver/schedule.html.
