"DISCOVERIES in AGING: What Boomers and Their Parents Need to Know"
A new series sponsored by the Chelmsford Library and
Chelmsford's Elder Services Department
Funded by the Chelmsford Friends of the Library

Five Deciding Factors: A Guide to Navigating the Journey of Aging- Feb 16

Which One of Us is the Mother Now? Tales from the Nursing Home- March 30

Caring Conversations: Talking with Aging Parents about Tough Subjects- April 13

Print and share our series brochure and our list of resources.

"Caring Conversations: Talking with Aging Parents about Tough Subjects"
Presented by Diana Ryder
Wednesday, April 13, 2011, at 7 p.m.
in the Chelmsford Library's McCarthy Meeting Room

Have you ever tried talking about a tough subject with your aging parent? Did you suggest it may be time to give up the car keys or to bring some help into the home? Were your efforts successful? Did you and your aging parent find an agreeable solution? Or were your efforts met with resistance or even anger?

If your efforts were unsuccessful or if you’ve been just too uncertain as to how to begin and carry such a conversation, this session is for you. Learning the practice of good communication skills will help you and your parent to handle the matters at hand and to avert a crisis in the future.

Diana Ryder is Director of Human and Elder Services for the Town of Chelmsford and serves as the Director of the Council on Aging, Chelmsford Senior Center.

“Five Deciding Factors: A Guide to Navigating the Journey of Aging"
Presented by Paula McCarron
Wednesday, February 16, 2011, at 7 p.m.
in the Chelmsford Library's McCarthy Meeting Room

Are you feeling concerned, frustrated or simply confused about how to help an aging loved one? If so, you’re not alone. Approximately 44 million American adults are involved in trying to help or care for a disabled, chronically ill or aging loved one while also juggling their personal lives, families and work responsibilities.

Elder Care Consultant, Paula McCarron will present “Five Deciding Factors”, a guiding tool to assist adult children and their parents in their search for information, resources, and services. This program will also address tips in communicating with health care professionals and being an advocate for your aging loved one.

Paula McCarron is a family caregiver, a health care professional with years of working with elders and their adult children and a published author who writes about aging, elder care and the concerns of family caregivers.

"Which One of Us is the Mother Now? Tales from the Nursing Home"
Presented by Sharon Kennedy
Wednesday, March 30, 2011, at 7 p.m.
in the Chelmsford Library's McCarthy Meeting Room

Storyteller and performance artist, Sharon Kennedy presents a one-woman show about her experience of caring for her elderly mother. In her own words, she says this is a “daughter’s story of love laughter, and lessons learned; trials, tears and advocacy. Bring tissues – but come prepared to laugh, too!”

Kennedy speaks not only for herself but for the questions being raised by other adult children confronted with the issue of caring for an aging parent. In an interview appearing in the Boston Globe, Kennedy says, “So many of us baby boomers are going through this experience, yet we all feel a tremendous amount of isolation. We’re all wondering, ‘Am I doing anything right? Is there a manual I missed?”

Sharon Kennedy is a Grammy-nominated storyteller who holds a master’s degree in reading and early childhood education. In addition to portraying historical characters in performance, Sharon teaches storytelling and children’s literature at Salem State College, Lesley University and Tufts University. Her work has been featured in featured in Yankee magazine, on NPR’s Morning Edition and ABC TV’s Good Morning, America. Read more about Sharon at her website http://sharonkennedy.com/