The Carbon County Area Agency on Aging will present a free workshop entitled, "Caregiving Made Less Stressful," from noon until 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14, at the Panther Valley Senior Center, 90 E. Catawissa St., Nesquehoning.

The workshop will be presented by Jillian Stone and Cheri Santore, executive director of the Area Agency on Aging. Both women are familiar with the stress of caregiving and the grief of losing a loved one to cancer. Stone's husband died in May of 2007, while Santore lost her husband just six months later.The workshop was developed by the two women because they know that caregivers need help. Their goal is to provide caregivers with the resources they may need and answer the questions they may have. Attendees will be able to direct their questions to a panel of experts in fields that caregivers most rely upon, such as home health care, skilled nursing and assisted living facilities, durable medical equipment representatives, nutrition experts, elder law attorneys, care managers, social workers and many other professionals.Caregivers will also be "cared for" and treated to a catered lunch, complimentary shoulder or hand massage, and the opportunity to share with other caregivers. They will also receive a free caregiver kit and resource directory, filled with listings of agencies located in Carbon and Schuylkill counties, as well as educational resources. It also contains pages for caregivers to use for journaling the special time they share with their loved ones as they care for them, a process that would be helpful in the case of terminal illness as the caregiver works through the grieving process.Caregivers will be reminded how important it is for them to take care of themselves throughout this period, so that they may be better able to take care of their loved one.To reserve a place at the "Caregiving Made Less Stressful" workshop, or if you have any questions, call Stone at (484) 464-3332.