PBS 45 & 49 Presents Broadcasts and
Conference on Caring for Elderly Parents
Caring for Your Parents offers sound advice
and helpful community resources
KENT, Ohio — March 20, 2008 — As
the population ages, many adults are grappling with an unprecedented
revolution as they become the primary caregivers for their aging
parents. In concert with the national PBS premiere of Caring
for Your Parents, PBS 45 & 49 will present a local
follow-up program plus a conference. A comprehensive Web site that
includes online registration for the conference is available at www.pbs4549.org/caringforyourparents.
Caring for Your Parents
(the national program)
Through an intimate look at five American families, Caring for Your
Parents, by award-winning filmmaker Michael Kirk, underscores today’s
struggle to keep parents at home, the tensions between siblings and the complexity
of shifting caregiver roles. The 90-minute documentary will premiere on PBS
45 & 49 on Wednesday, April 2 at 9 p.m. It will repeat on Friday, April
4 at 3 a.m. and Sunday, April 6 at 5 p.m.
Caring for Your Parents:
A Local Follow-Up
PBS 45 & 49 follows up with a 30-minute companion program that offers concrete
advice and guidance to northeast Ohioans. It features local health care experts
who offer important information about local resources and issues. Caring
for Your Parents: A Local Follow-Up will air on Wednesday, April 2
at 10:30 p.m. It will repeat on Thursday, April 3 at 2 p.m.; Friday, April
4 at 4:30 a.m. and Sunday, April 6 at 6:30 p.m.
Co-produced by Summa Health System and the
Area Agency on Aging, the program’s topics include signs
of decline in the elderly, geriatric assessment and options for
caregiving. “The aging population, particularly those over
85, is increasing, and as a result, more family members are providing
care and support for their loved ones,” said Pat Troyer,
executive director of Post Acute and Senior Services at Summa Health
System. “We are pleased to collaborate with our colleagues
at the Area Agency on Aging and PBS 45 & 49 to provide information
and resources that will help caregivers with this important responsibility.”
Susan Sigmon, vice president of managed long-term
care at the Area Agency on Aging, added, “It’s the
Area Agency on Aging’s mission to provide support to family
caregivers who give their time, talents and ongoing concern to
ensure their loved ones have independence with dignity. The Caring
for Your Parents collaborative project enables us to provide crucial
information that can affect family caregiving in positive ways.”
Because of the depth of the subject matter,
PBS 45 & 49 will offer the full-length panel discussions from
the program for viewing on demand at pbs4549.org/caringforyourparents.
Caring for Your Parents:
The Conference
PBS 45 & 49 will hold a free conference on caring for elderly parents on
Saturday, April 19 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Summa Health System’s Professional
Center South, 55 Arch St., Akron. The conference will offer helpful sessions
on topics including monitoring parents’ medications, modifying their
homes for better safety and making difficult decisions about their care.
The conference will feature four one-hour
sessions, with two topics to choose from per session. “PBS
45 & 49 strives to go beyond the national broadcast and localize
our content,” said Heidi Johnson, PBS 45 & 49 community
engagement coordinator. “This conference will allow us to
offer assistance and resources to the ever-increasing number of
people who find themselves caring for aging family members.” Advance
registration for the conference is recommended, either by calling
1-800-554-4549 or by registering online at www.pbs4549.org/caringforyourparents.
About PBS 45 & 49
PBS 45 & 49 is owned and operated by Northeastern Educational Television
of Ohio, Inc., a private, nonprofit corporation and consortium of Kent State
University, The University of Akron and Youngstown State University. A trusted
community resource, PBS 45 & 49 uses the power of commercial-free television
and related services to enrich the lives of people through high-quality programming
and educational services that teach, illuminate and inspire. Through funding
from eTech Ohio, the organization provides K-12 educational technology training
and instructional television programming. For more information about PBS 45 & 49,
visit www.pbs4549.org or call 1-800-554-4549.
About Summa Health System
Summa Health System is one of the largest organized delivery systems in Ohio.
Encompassing a network of hospitals, community health centers, a health plan,
a physician-hospital organization, research and a foundation, Summa is nationally
renowned for excellence in patient care and for exceptional approaches to
healthcare delivery. Summa’s clinical services are consistently recognized
by U.S. News and World Report, Thomson Healthcare (formerly Solucient) and
The Leapfrog Group. For more information, visit www.summahealth.org.
About Area Agency on Aging
For more than 30 years, the Area Agency on Aging has been providing community-based
long term care options and consumer protection and education for older adults
in Portage, Stark, Summit and Wayne counties. These options include PASSPORT,
which provides nursing home level services in an older adult’s home;
assisted living waiver funding so older adults can use assisted living options
rather than more costly nursing home placement; the ombudsman program, which
provides advocates for older adults using long term care; and the Family
Caregiver Support Program, which provides individualized information and
support to family and friends who care for aging loved ones.
