{"id":147311,"date":"2026-03-24T20:51:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T20:51:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/147311\/"},"modified":"2026-03-24T20:51:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T20:51:09","slug":"misericordia-symposium-stresses-self-care-for-caregivers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/147311\/","title":{"rendered":"Misericordia symposium stresses self-care for caregivers"},"content":{"rendered":"

DALLAS \u2013 Misericordia University hosted officials from the state Department of Aging for its Caregiver Support Symposium on Tuesday, highlighting resources available to Pennsylvanians doing the often hard work of caring for older family members and others in need.<\/p>\n

Aging Secretary Jason Kavulich delivered opening remarks in which he discussed the increasingly crucial role caregivers play in the Keystone State. He said there were now 2.4 million unpaid caregivers in the commonwealth helping 3.4 million seniors.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s 2.4 million people who are giving up time, but working a job or raising a family, or supporting their loved ones in other ways,\u201d Kavulich said. \u201cIt\u2019s really the backbone of the caregiving industry in many ways and we need to do our best in Pennsylvania to support them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nathan Lampenfeld, special assistant to the secretary of aging, delivered a presentation on the department\u2019s landmark effort to help caregivers \u2013 PA CareKit.<\/a> Accessed by more than 300,000 Pennsylvanians, the PA CareKit is meant as a holistic resource for caregivers, replete with care-planning worksheets, lists of state resources available to help caregivers and self-care advice for caregivers.<\/p>\n

The kit also includes \u201cUnderstanding Your Needs Quiz,\u201d which assesses the level of stress individual caregivers face in their daily lives, assigns them a \u201cburnout\u201d score, and directs them to relevant resources.<\/p>\n

Attendees at the symposium included Misericordia social work students, caregivers, and seniors.<\/p>\n

\"Pennsylvania<\/p>\n

Pennsylvania Department of Aging Secretary Jason Kavulich speaks during the Caregiviver Support Symposium in Insalaco Hall on the Misericordia University campus in Dallas Tuesday, March 24, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

\"Nathan<\/p>\n

Nathan Lampenfeld, special assistant to Pennsylvania Department of Aging Secretary Jason Kavulich, speaks during the Caregiviver Support Symposium in Insalaco Hall on the Misericordia University campus in Dallas Tuesday, March 24, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

\"Luzerne<\/p>\n

Luzerne County District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce and Wyoming County District Attorney Joe Peters attend the Caregiviver Support Symposium in Insalaco Hall on the Misericordia University campus in Dallas Tuesday, March 24, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 3<\/p>\n

Pennsylvania Department of Aging Secretary Jason Kavulich speaks during the Caregiviver Support Symposium in Insalaco Hall on the Misericordia University campus in Dallas Tuesday, March 24, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

Dr. Peggy Rapp, a former Misericordia professor of social work, said she thought the presentation was a \u201cgood balance between application and inspiration.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bryn Groblewski and Ann Marie Hirko, case workers for the Caregiver Support Program of the Luzerne County Agency of Aging, spoke highly of the symposium.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the symposium was very beneficial and it gives practical advice to burnout caregivers, as well as helpers, so we can better support them in that capacity,\u201d Groblewski said.<\/p>\n

Janet Strish, a 79-year-old Larksville resident, spoke about her own years of experience working in caregiving.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I went in as a caregiver in nursing homes and private homes, I was very helpful\u2026which was nice,\u201d Strish said. \u201cBut I never thought of myself someday being in these circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fighting Fraud & Stretching away Stress<\/p>\n

The symposium also included a presentation from Luzerne County District Samuel Sanguedolce on how caregivers can help protect seniors from fraud and abuse. Sanguedolce said caregivers should take note when seniors report wrongdoing and help them attend court and endure the often lengthy criminal justice process.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs much as the police and the district attorneys are fighting for the elderly victims, caregivers are often\u2026 the tip of the spear leading that fight,\u201d Sanguedolce said. \u201cBecause you\u2019re the voice of that victim.\u201d<\/p>\n

Following Sanguedolce\u2019s presentation, there was a brief section focusing on the SLP-Connect<\/a> at Misericordia, an organization that offers engagement groups for persons with dementia and support groups for their caregivers.<\/p>\n

The symposium ended with an overview of different, short exercises caregivers can use to alleviate stress. Dr. Tiffany Mulally reviewed a regimen of stretching exercises she called \u201cmovement snacks,\u201d because they could be done quickly and fit into caregivers\u2019 busy schedules.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re in this constant state (of handling the stress of a caregiver) you\u2019re leaving your car running all the time,\u201d Mulally said. \u201cIf you are not going to do it to your car, why are we doing it to ourselves?\u201d<\/p>\n

A Statewide Effort<\/p>\n

Strengthening campaigns against fraud and tools such as the PA CareKit are parts of a broader 10-year plan, titled \u201cAging Our Way, PA.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kavulich said the Aging Department held town halls in several languages in every county in the commonwealth to solicit opinion and design the plan in a way that met the needs of seniors and caregivers.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecoming a caregiver can feel like stepping into the unknown,\u201d the PA CareKit tells caregivers. \u201cYour caregiver experience will be unique, but it\u2019s important to know you\u2019re not alone.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"DALLAS \u2013 Misericordia University hosted officials from the state Department of Aging for its Caregiver Support Symposium on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":147312,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[59807,28,30,29],"class_list":["post-147311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pennsylvania","tag-caregivers","tag-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania-headlines","tag-pennsylvania-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=147311"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147311\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/147312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=147311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=147311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=147311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}