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Conference Highlights



 


PowerPoint and Video Presentations

To view or download Keynote and Workshop Session PowerPoint Presentations and Videotaped Sessions, scroll down for links or click here to begin with Session A.

Keynote, Sharon Lewis, Administration for Community Living, video

Keynote Leisa Easom, Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving, video

Lifespan Respite Panel video

Community Innovations Panel video


Respite Is  

To listen to Respite Song Chorus, "Respite Is...", click here. For Lyrics, click here.

 




Conference Photos

View on Flickr

 

Conference Program

Download (pdf)  


 Tuesday Evening, October 7
 3:00-7:30 pm   Registration
 
 6:00-9:00 pm    Welcome Reception and Program
 
 Wednesday Morning, October 8
 7:30 am - 5:00 pm   Registration and Help Desk
 
 7:30-9:00 am      Continental Breakfast
 
 9:00-9:30 am       Opening Remarks. Welcome to Nashville!
 
 9:30-10:30       KidBilly Music: Team Building through Song

 

Award winning song writers, Billy Kirsch and team, will lead conference attendees in an interactive and dynamic song writing experience to reflect the passion and need for respite among the nation’s family caregivers. Participants will rediscover their creativity to become more innovative and engaged in their work and we will leave with new messaging ideas for respite.

The KidBilly song-writing team has enjoyed Grammy awards, Emmy and Tony nominations, Country Music Association awards, multiple top 10 and number one hit songs recorded by singers such as Wynonna Judd. Credits include appearances on The Tonight Show, David Letterman, and recordings with artists Keith Urban, Ray Charles, Kenny Rogers, Shania Twain, Martina McBride and many more.

10:30–11:00   Break
 
11:00–12:15   Workshops Session A
A-1 How to Utilize College Interns Effectively to Benefit a Respite ProgramLynn Easterwood, Social Worker and Volunteer Coordinator, Hospice of North Alabama, Huntsville, AL
and
Traveling “The Long and Winding Road” “With A Little Help From My Friends”Joan Kelly Rafferty, OTR/L, Project Coordinator, Massachusetts Lifespan Respite Coalition and Co-Director, The Respite Project, N. Waltham, MA and Barbara Donati

A-2 A Model of Health for Family CaregiversFlo Weierbach, PhD, MPH, RN, Assistant Professor, East Tennessee State University College of Nursing, Johnson City, TN
A-3 How the Family Lifestyle Model Provides an Alternative to Traditional Respite CareBarry O’Neill, Marketing and Promotions Manager, MillarRich, Nashville, TN
and
Crisis Respite Services in TennesseeMelissa Sparks, RN, MSN, Director, Crisis Services and Suicide Prevention at Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Nashville, TN
A-4 Caregivers: Our Inner StrengthsPam Bryan, Certified Brain Injury Specialist, Family Caregiver, Madison, TN and Jean Doster, Director, Traumatic Brain Injury Program, Nashville, TN
 A-5 Helping Caregivers through the Balanced Incentive ProgramJoyce Pohlman, Grant Coordinator, Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services, Austin, TX
and
In Tune with Respite: One State’s Experience Integrating Respite into other Health Care Initiatives - Kathy Mayfield-Smith, SC Respite Coalition, Columbia, SC

      

 Wednesday Afternoon, October 8
 
 12:30–1:45  Lunch and Luncheon Speaker

    

Sharon Lewis
Deputy Administrator
Administration for Community Living
Senior Advisor to the Secretary on Disability Policy
US Department of Health and Human Services
Washington, DC


Sharon Lewis was appointed Principal Deputy Administrator of the Administration for Community Living and Senior Advisor to the HHS Secretary on Disability Policy in November 2013. Prior to this, Sharon was the Commissioner of the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Well known as an effective advocate, Sharon has a proven track record in championing disability issues. She has been particularly focused on ensuring that the perspective of people with disabilities and their families are central to program and policy efforts.

Sharon has worked in disability policy for more than 15 years at local, state, and national levels. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2010 Distinguished Leadership in National Disability Policy Award and the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities Chairman's Award. A native of Michigan, she is a parent to three daughters, including one with disability.


 2:15–3:30    Workshops Session B
 B-1 Caregiver Central.org - Providing Earlier, High Quality Intervention via the InternetMary Ellen Grant, Chief Executive Officer, Share the Care, Inc., Winter Park, FL and Tamika Harris, Chief Operating Officer, Share the Care, Inc., Winter Park, FL
 B-2 Respite for Families Affected by MS: Models of Program Delivery and Advocacy Partnerships to Serve Younger Adults with Disabilities -Laura Weidner, Esq., Director, Federal Government Relations, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Washington, DC • Marva Serotkin, MPH, President and CEO, The Boston Home, Boston, MA • Amy Watkins, Client and Community Programs Manager, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Connecticut Chapter, Hartford, CT 
 B-3 VistaPoints – Special Needs Trusts and RespiteDarlene Kemp, Executive Director, Vista Points Special Needs Trusts, Mount Juliet, TN
 B-4 Turning Obstacles into Opportunities: Reinventing Respite Programs with a Unique Service ModelMelissa McQuilkin, MSW, Social Services Program Administrator/Respite Director, Broward Children’s Center, Pompano Beach, FL • Jacqui Mogavero, MBA, Operations Officer, Broward Children’s Center, Pompano Beach, FL
and
Collaboration–The Solution to Respite, Recreation and Increasing Health Care Providers in Your StateLynn Robinson, President and CEO, Easter Seals Colorado, Lakewood, CO • Meghan Baskett, Project Manager, Colorado Respite Care Project, Lakewood, CO
 B-5 Measuring Impact: Evaluation Lessons from Massachusetts’ Lifespan Respite Coalition ProgramsEmily Kearns, President of Kearns Consulting, Massachusetts Lifespan Respite Coalition Board of Directors, Andover, MA • Amy Korstvedt Nazaire, Project Director, Massachusetts Lifespan Respite Project, and Regional Director of Family Support and Children’s Services, Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services, Northeast Region, Hathorne, MA


 
 3:30-3:45    Break
 
 3:45–5:00   Workshops Session C

 

 C-1 TABS – Tennessee Adult Brothers and Sisters of People with DisabilitiesAlicia Fitts, Executive Committee, TABS, Brentwood, TN
• Sherry Dunham, Executive Committee, TABS, Knoxville, TN
 C-2 Sustainable a Volunteer Respite Model is Music to our EarsLois Sheaffer-Kramer, REST Program Director, REST Program, Bloomingdale, IL • Kelly Fitzgerald, REST Program Manager, REST Program, Bloomingdale, IL
and
A Volunteer Respite Program to Benefit Family CaregiversClare Farless, B.S., Family Caregiver Coordinator, Upper Cumberland Area Agency on Aging and Disability, Cookeville, TN
 C-3 Orchestrating Partnerships and Leveraging Resources to Create and Sustain Respite OpportunitiesBrenda Reece, Executive Director, High Country Caregiver Foundation, Family Caregiver Specialists, High Country AAA, Boone, NC
 C-4 Using Online Training to Build a Caregiver-Savvy Ensemble of ProfessionalsAlicia Blater, M.S., APR, Project Director, North Carolina Lifespan Respite Project, Raleigh, NC • Linda Kendall Fields, M.Ed, Project Specialist, North Carolina Lifespan Respite Project, Raleigh, NC
 C-5 Using Bridging Apps to Improve Social Cognition in ASD Teens: Case Studies from Group Respite CareKelly Kaleta, Parent Night Out Respite Coordinator, Easter Seals Greater Houston, Bellaire, TX • Linda Latimer, Respite Director/Housing Director, Easter Seals Greater Houston, Bellaire, TX
 Wednesday Evening, October 8
 
 Dinner on Your Own in Downtown Nashville, Tennessee’s “Music City”
 
 Thursday Morning, October 9
 7:30 am - 5:00 pm   Registration and Help Desk
 
 7:30-9:00 am      Continental Breakfast
 

 9:00–9:45 am    Keynote Speaker

Leisa R. Easom, Ph.D., R.N.
Executive Director
Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving
Georgia Southwestern State University

PowerPoint Presentation 

Leisa R. Easom, PhD, RN is the Executive Director of the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving (RCI) and Pope Eminent Scholar at Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW). The mission of the RCI is to establish local, state, national and international partnerships committed to building quality long-term, home and community-based services for caregivers in the promotion of caregiver health, skills, and resilience.


Certified in gerontology, Dr. Easom focuses her program of research on caregivers (military and dementia), end-of-life issues, aging, and health promotion in rural areas of the United States. She has been the recipient of many awards including Teacher of the Year Award at GSW and was selected as a Helene Fuld Scholar recipient for the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Leadership program. Dr. Easom serves on the Medical Assisting Board for South Georgia Technical College, on the Caregiving Advisory Panel for the U. S. Administration on Aging, the ARCH Expert Panel on Respite Research, and the Carter Center Task Force for Mental Health. She was recently selected as a “Reynolds Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence Distinguished Scholar in Aging”.


 
 9:45-10:45 Lifespan Respite Plenary Session
 

  Lifespan Respite Panel

"Hitting the High Notes with Lifespan Respite: Progress at the Five-Year Point”


Moderator: Jill Kagan, ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center

Greg Link, Administration for Community Living/Administration on Aging, US Department of Health and Human Services   Presentation

Sharon Johnson, Program Coordinator, Nebraska DHHS – Children and Family Services, Lifespan Respite Program and Disabled Persons & Family Support Program, Lincoln, NE Presentation

Peggy Spaulding, State Unit on Aging Program Specialist, Colorado Office of Community Access and Independence, CO Department of Human Services, Denver, CO  Presentation

Tabitha Satterfield, Aging Program Coordinator, Tennessee Commission on Aging and Disability, Nashville, TN   Presentation


 10:45 - 11-15  Break
 
 11:15–12:30    Workshops Session D
 D-1 Respite Care: Exploring Managed Care SolutionsMelinda Henderson, MD, National Medical Director, United Healthcare, Brentwood, TN
 D-2 Nashville Public Television – Aging Matters - Jo Ann Scalf, Education Director, Nashville Public Television, Nashville, TN • LaTonya Turner, Producer, Nashville Public Television, Nashville, TN
 D-3 Caring too Much: Impact of Stress on Brain Pathways of Caregivers - Dr. Stephen D’Amico, MD, CMD, FACGS, Franklin, TN • Dr. Annita Kerr-D’Amico, Franklin, TN
 D-4 Sustaining Respite Collaborations with the Help of TechnologySharon J. Johnson, Program Coordinator, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Lincoln, NE
and
Music to their Ears: Creating a Statewide Respite Voucher SystemLinda J. Porter, Project Coordinator, Lifespan Respite Washington, Easter Seals Washington, Seattle, WA
 D-5 America the Beautiful: Respite Care for Our Nation's HeroesJed Johnson, Director, National Veteran Caregiver Training Program, Easter Seals, Washington, DC • Jennifer Dexter, Assistant Vice President, Government Affairs, Easter Seals, Washington, DC

 Thursday Afternoon, October 9
 12:45 - 2:15 pm      Lunch and Plenary Session

Community Innovation Panel

"Respite from a New Perspective: Meeting Needs Without Missing
a Beat"


Edgar Cahn, Founder and Chair, TimeBanks, USA, Washington, DC  Presentation

Louise Barnes, Ph.D., Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Children and Youth Programs, Nashville, TN   Presentation
  
Laura Doutre, MPS, Assistant Commissioner, Policy & Innovation, TN Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Nashville, TN   Presentation


 
 2:15-2:45        Break
 
 2:45-4:00        Workshops Session E
 E-1 Respite Agency Best Business Practices - Instrumental to your Success, In Harmony with Your Clients - Doug Bergman, President and CEO, United Cerebral Palsy of Sacramento and Northern California, Sacramento, CA
 E-2 Successfully Implementing a Volunteer System to Increase Statewide Access to Respite Care 

TakeFIVE: Funding, Training, Support - MaryJo Alimena Caruso, M.Ed, Coordinator, CareBreak at the Watson Institute and Master Trainer, TakeFIVE, Sewickley, PA •  Mary Jones-Furlow, M.Ed., Project Coordinator, Temple University and Trainer, TakeFIVE, Philadelphia, PA 
and
Arizona's Approach - Elizabeth Harris, M.S.W., Respite Project Coordinator/Volunteer Coordinator, Arizona Caregiver Coalition, Phoenix, AZ 
 E-3 With a Little Help From My Friends: Technology and Hands-on Assistance Support for Family Caregivers across the LifespanElenore Parker, President, Rewarding Work Resources, Brookline, MA • Jeffrey A. Keilson, Co-Founder, Rewarding Work Resources, Brookline, MA • Amy Korstvedt Nazaire, Project Director, Massachusetts Lifespan Respite Project and Regional Director of Family Support and Children’s Services, Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services, Northeast Region, Hathorne, MA • David Besst, Caregiver Programs Specialist, Arizona Department of Economic Security, Division of Aging and Adult Services, Phoenix, AZ
 E-4 Caregiving through the Eyes of Hispanic CaregiversLyda C. ArĂ©valo-Flechas, PhD, MSN, RN, St. David’s School of Nursing, Texas State University,
Round Rock, TX
 E-5 Sustaining the Respite Coalition When Leadership ChangesDawn Oakey Gartman, Senior Aging Program Specialist, Centralina Area Agency on Aging, Charlotte, NC
 E-6 Partnership between the Area Agency on Aging, the Aging and Disability Resource Center, and the Veteran’s Administration (VA) to provide Lifespan Respite ProgramsSusan D. Blevins, Care Transitions Intervention Coach, Care Coordination and VD-HCBS, Bexar
Area Agency on Aging, San Antonio, TX • Stella C. Newberger, Contract Adult Day Health Care and Respite Care Social Worker, Veteran-Directed Home and Community Based Services (VD-HCBS) Program Coordinator, South Texas
Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, TX


 
 4:00-4:30     Door Prizes and Closing Ceremony

 

 
 
 Friday, October 10


Lifespan Respite Grantee and Partner Learning Symposium

(By invitation only for Lifespan Respite Grantees and Partners. Separate Registration Required)

7:30 am - 8:30 am Registration and Breakfast

8:30 - 3:00 pm   Presentations and Interactive Discussion

 

 

 


 

About us

We are a national, membership-based organization that assists and promotes the development of quality respite and crisis care programs; helps families locate respite and crisis care services in their communities; and serves as a strong voice for respite in all forums.


ARCH is a program of     

Become a member

Join with other concerned advocates, providers and family caregivers who want to make a difference in the lives of the nation's children and adults with disabilities and chronic conditions, older adults, and their caregivers, and other families needing support.

Contact us

ARCH stands for Access to Respite Care and Help.

VISIT the ARCH NATIONAL RESPITE NETWORK AND RESOURCE CENTER Website.

4220 NC Hwy 55, Suite 330, Durham, NC 27713


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