Free Caregiver Classes Offered by CCAC, Pitt

The Community College of Allegheny County is working with the University of Pittsburgh Institute on Aging to offer free training for home caregivers.

The Family Caregiver Training Program is divided into six two-hour workshops that each focus on a specific aspect of caring for an elderly family member.

Institute on Aging Administrative Director Shikha Iyengar says students will experience the advanced effects of aging first-hand.

“We have glasses that simulate either the yellowing of the lens or loss of vision due to certain diseases as one gets older, as glaucoma or cataracts,” says Iyengar.

She says two of the workshops will focus solely on dealing with healthcare providers, while another will address how to take care of oneself while tending to someone else.

Iyengar says the class will be helpful to anyone planning to become a caregiver in the near future.

“The family members or the informal caregivers kind of say, ‘Well, I can deal with it when the time comes.’ But the time comes so quickly, we are just overwhelmed with it,” says Iyengar.

The free workshops begin April 10.