I recently learned about a program offered by many companies -such as Nike and Intel- and individuals for caregivers called Powerful Tools for Caregivers. Offered by non-profit Legacy Caregiver Services, Powerful Tools for Caregivers is a six week program for family and friends of older adults who have Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s or other long-term debilitating diseases.

Class topics include: “Taking Care of You”, “Identifying and Reducing Personal Stress”, “Communicating Feelings, Needs and Concerns”, “Communicating in Challenging Situations”, “Learning from Our Emotions”, and “Mastering Caregiving Decisions”.

For more information about local classes offered email caregiver@lhs.org. Or go to the Web site.

Here is a review from Publisher’s Weekly magazine about a new book about the effects of a parent’s death on adult children when the parent was dysfunctional-

Book: Death Benefits: How Losing a Parent Can Change an Adult’s Life- For the Better