Embrace the Transitions of Caregiving:
Join the 3rd Annual Virtual Caregiver Symposium
November 3, 2023
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Location: Virtual via Zoom!
7 CE Credits Available
Caring for a loved one who is elderly or disabled is a journey filled with love, but it can also be a path filled with challenges. The constant worry, the emotional toll, the financial strain - it can all feel too much. We understand the weight you carry, and we're here to help.
Back for its third year, the Virtual Caregiver Symposium is designed specifically for caregivers like you.
Our focus for 2023? Transitions.
We know that every stage of your loved one's illness or disability brings new challenges and demands. That's why we've gathered experts to provide you with the knowledge and tools you need to navigate these transitions with confidence.
We understand that your time is precious, and everyone needs your attention. That's why our symposium is held virtually over Zoom. Whether you're at home, at work, or caring for your loved one, you can stream this life-changing event. We've got your back!
Register NowIf you're caring for a loved one with neurodivergence or special needs, this symposium will provide you with valuable insights and strategies to support your loved one throughout life’s transitions. You'll learn how to use overlooked legal tools and strategies beyond traditional conservatorships to help your loved one be as independent as possible without sacrificing the ability to help manage their finances and healthcare needs as an adult.
Whether you're caring for an aging parent or grandparent, this event will equip you with the knowledge and resources you need to navigate the unique challenges of elder care. You'll learn how to access resources and the support you need as your loved one needs to move into the next level of their care journey, so you don't face wait lists, excessive long-term care costs, or are forced to pay out of pocket because of problems with benefits.
If your partner is facing health challenges, this symposium will provide you with the tools and understanding to support them effectively while also taking care of your own wellbeing. You'll learn how to access resources and support to help manage your spouse's care needs, and how to plan effectively to avoid unnecessary costs and stress.
If you're a social worker, discharge planner, nursing home employee, or involved in any other professional caregiving role, this event will enhance your understanding of the caregiver's journey and provide you with practical strategies to support those you care for.
*Note:* Professional caregivers attending this event will also earn Continuing Education (CE) credits, helping to maintain your professional qualifications while learning valuable new skills and insights.
Register NowLearn how to plan for each stage of your loved one's illness or disability. Gain insights into what to expect and how to prepare, reducing the stress of the unknown.
Discover resources to help you finance care at every stage of the journey. Don't let financial strain add to your worries - we'll guide you to the help you need.
Understand the legal steps to take when your loved one with special needs becomes a legal adult. We'll demystify the process and provide practical advice.
Learn strategies to ease the burden of care while promoting independence and fulfillment for your loved ones. Find the balance between providing care and enabling autonomy.
During the event, you will also connect with other caregivers who understand your struggles and share your experiences. Together, we can navigate the challenges of caregiving and embrace the transitions that come with it.
Co-Managing Shareholder
Maser, Amundson & Boggio, P.A.
Executive Director
Thrive at Home
Director of Marketing
NinePatch, Inc.
Director of Community Initiatives
Caregiver Action Network
Education and Clinical Trials Manager
Life Molecular Imaging
Ed.D
Resource Coordinator
The Hartford Health Care Center for Healthy Aging
Ed.D., N.C.S.P., N.C.C.
Director, Social Learning Center, Department of Psychology, The University of Hartford
Director of Population Health & Integrated Care Management
Point32Health
Director of Community Relations, Oxford Home Care
Vice President of Programs and Education at the Alzheimer’s Association Connecticut Chapter
Educational Consultant
Top College Consultants®
M.Ed., BCBA, LBA (CT)
Senior Board Certified Behavior Analyst, The Hangout Spot LLC
Seila Mosquera-BrunoSeila Mosquera-Bruno
Connecticut State Long Term Care Ombudsman
Dementia Specialist, Hartford Health Care Center for Healthy Aging
B.A., J.D., CELA, Drazen Rubin Law
Executive Director at the Connecticut Center for Patient Safety
M.A. CCC-SL, Hospital for Special Care
MS CCC-SLP, Hospital for Special Care
M.S. CCC-SLP, Hospital for Special Care
DSW
8:30 AM
9:00 AM
Welcome, Registration, Log in
9:00 AM
9:10 AM
Official Welcome and Intro Discussion
9:10 AM
10:00 AM
From Pitfalls to Power: Lessons I Learned the Hard Way So You Don't Have To - A Caregiver's Journey to Avoiding Costly Learning Curves, Roadblocks, and Heartaches
10:00 AM
10:50 AM
Developing a Transition Team to Avoid a Crisis
10:50 AM
11:00 AM
Break
11:00 AM
11:50 AM
How Employers can Help Employees who are Caregivers
11:50 AM
12:00 PM
Break
12:00 PM
12:50 PM
Lunch and Round Table
12:50 PM
1:00 PM
Break
1:00 PM
1:50 PM
Breakout Sessions:
Top Ten Tips Caregivers in Transition Can Utilize Right NowTransitioning into Caregiving for an Adult with Special Needs
1:50 PM
2:00 PM
Break
2:00 PM
2:50 PM
Breakout Sessions:Navigating the “What Ifs” of AgingTransition from High School for Neurodivergent Students: What is available and how to obtain it
2:50 PM
3:00 PM
Break
3:00 PM
3:50 PM
Closing Session - Am I My Brother's/Sister's Keeper
8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Welcome
Registration
Log in
9:00 AM - 9:10 AM
Official Welcome and Intro Discussion
10:00 AM - 10:50 AM
Topic
From Pitfalls to Power: Lessons I Learned the Hard Way So You Don't Have To – A Caregiver's Journey to Avoiding Costly Learning Curves, Roadblocks, and Heartaches
Caregiving can be rewarding for you and reassuring for the person you are caring for. But it has pitfalls as well as peaks. It can be discouraging and sometimes even depressing. How can you ensure that you are ready to be the best caregiver you can be?
As the person you are caring for continues to need more and more assistance, are you prepared emotionally and physically? How do you overcome fatigue, sadness and potential conflicts with family members and even medical providers? How do you take care of yourself as well?
This session will help you gain a practical, realistic view of what to expect, help guide you through the process and make a realistic plan.
Education and Clinical Trials Manager
Life Molecular Imaging
9:10 AM - 10:00 AM
Topic
Developing a Transition Team to Avoid a Crisis
The proper care team as a person begins to need a caregiver is critical for their well-being, but also for yours as a caregiver. How do you determine who should be part of a care team, such as a social worker, attorney and financial planner? What questions should you ask to make sure you are bringing in the right people for the job? How do you ensure that the wishes of the person being cared for, as well as your desires to give that person the best care possible, are being carried out?
Participants will gain the knowledge to help them:
Ed.D
10:50 AM - 11:00 AM
Break
11:00 AM - 11:50 AM
Topic
How Employers can Help Employees who are Caregivers
A national study completed in late 2022 by The Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers shows that one in five full-time workers is a caregiver and that many of them will eventually have to cut back their work hours or quit, creating financial stress. What can employers do to support their caregiver employees financially, emotionally and with more flexible work hours? For example, greater use of remote work hours, reduced workloads and offering caregiver services? This session will address these issues and some solutions.
Participants will gain the knowledge to help them:
Resource Coordinator
The Hartford Health Care Center for Healthy Aging
11:50 AM - 12:00 PM
Break
12:00 PM - 12:50 PM
Lunch and Round Table
Topic
The Lunch Round Table will be a discussion on caregiving stressors, solutions and includes an open invite to all the presenters who would like to participate.
The Lunch Round Table will be a discussion on caregiving stressors, solutions and includes an open invite to all the presenters who would like to participate.
Participants will gain the knowledge to help them:
12:50 PM - 1:00 PM
Break
1:00 PM - 1:50 PM
Breakout Sessions
If you are a new caregiver or if the person you are caring for is transitioning from a child to an adult, or undergoing major changes with their caregiving needs, this session is for you. Learn practical tips that you can apply right away and that will help you prepare for the inevitable transitions that will become part of your caregiving journey.
Participants will gain the knowledge to help them:
Ed.D., N.C.S.P., N.C.C.
Director, Social Learning Center, Department of Psychology, The University of Hartford
Your special needs family member or client is now an adult. But they are not the only ones transitioning. As a caregiver, what do you need to know that will help them and help yourself during this critical period? What skills and tips should you be aware of that may not have applied when the person being cared for was a child? For example, community resources, employment opportunities, education, even guardianship? This session will prepare you, so that you can prepare the person you are caring for.
Participants will gain the knowledge to help them:
Director of Community Relations, Oxford Home Care
1:50 PM - 2:00 PM
Break
2:00 PM - 2:50 PM
Breakout Sessions
So now you are a caregiver and you need answers to critical questions like: How do I explore housing options across the continuum, learn about the different types of care provided, and understand the different types of funding options for support? This session will help you get started on the right foot, lessening your stress and increasing your ability to give the best care possible.
Participants will gain the knowledge to help them:
Vice President of Programs and Education at the Alzheimer’s Association Connecticut Chapter
There’s more to succeeding in college than getting accepted, because students who aren’t fully prepared for independence may struggle with the transition from high school. We’ll explore how you can ensure that students, especially those with learning differences such as autism or ADHD, will be more college-ready.
Dr. Eric Endlich, our speaker, will also discuss:
This session will be useful for parents as well as professionals who work with neurodivergent students. There will be time for Q&A and Dr. Endlich will share resources that may be helpful in guiding students through the college application and transition process.
Participants will gain the knowledge to help them:
M.Ed., BCBA, LBA (CT)
Senior Board Certified Behavior Analyst, The Hangout Spot LLC
3:00 PM - 3:50 PM
Closing Session
Topic
Am I My Brother's/Sister's Keeper
As you transition into your role as a sibling caregiver, what are your responsibilities and how can you best meet them? How do you take care of yourself so you can be the best possible caregiver? How do you even know if you are fit for the job? How do you discover the right kind of available community resources, recruit other family members to help and prioritize needs, both for you as a caregiver and the person you are caring for?
Participants will gain the knowledge to help them:
Seila Mosquera-BrunoSeila Mosquera-Bruno
X
Seila Mosquera-Bruno was appointed the Commissioner of Housing by Governor Ned Lamont in 2019 and re-appointed for his second term in 2023. As Commissioner, Seila leads the state agency responsible for all affordable housing matters including new construction, preservation, homelessness support for the State of Connecticut.
Under Seila’s tenure, the Dept. of Housing has completed construction on 14,000 housing units - and counting - since 2019 with over 6,400 currently under construction.
The Department of Housing administers $200 million for homeless support services annually and more than $800 million for development and preservation.
The Department also administered $600MM in COVID emergency relief funds; created a COVID emergency rent relief program; redesigned congregate emergency shelters with the use of hotels and the creation of micro units; reimagined the homeless shelter experience by adding on-site wrap around services and recently created regional “HUBS” across the state to serve as walk-in access points for residents needing emergency support services.
In 2024, Governor Lamont Appointed the Commissioner as Chair of the newly established Connecticut Interagency Council on Homelessness, a panel of agency leaders tasked with strengthening the state’s homelessness prevention and response efforts.
In the last three years, Seila has been responsible for creating two signature programs to accelerate development and homeownership: Time To Own, the state’s first down payment assistance loan program for first time homebuyers. Since its launch in late 2022 over 6,000 Connecticut residents have become homeowners with an average age of 34 and annual income of $70,000.
The second, Build for CT a workforce specific, gap financing program for developers building market-rate housing, launched as a direct response to rising costs from supply chains and inflation. The state’s investment secures a minimum of 20% high-quality affordable units within the existing development plans. Since late 2023, the program has generated more than 1,900 new units with over 500 set aside for middle-income residents.
Seila is the Board Chair for the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA), the state’s quasi-public organization dedicated to financing the production and preservation of affordable housing.
Her participation in community service is extensive. She currently serves as Vice President of the CT Municipal Development Authority, a board member for the Capital Region Development Authority, and a board member of the Council of State Community Development Agencies (COSCDA).
Previously she served on the board for Connecticut Legal Rights, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston, Santander Bank, Connecticut Housing Coalition, the National NeighborWorks Association and the National Real Estate Development Advisory Council of NeighborWorks America and a member of the Home Connecticut Steering Committee.
As an affordable housing developer herself for more than 20 years in Connecticut, Seila has developed partnerships with financial institutions, service providers, advocates, and nonprofits, municipal leaders, government officials, private developers, architects, and thought leaders in the housing space.
Prior to her appointment, Seila was the President and Chief Executive Officer of NeighborWorks New Horizons (NWNH) a non-profit organization dedicated to providing affordable housing opportunities and neighborhood revitalization. After joining NWNH in 1994, Seila served in many different capacities and became the Executive Director in 2003. Under her leadership, the organization expanded operations beyond New Haven County to New London and Fairfield Counties, managed 38 employees and $100 million in Assets.
Seila holds a master’s degree in urban studies from Southern Connecticut State University, a B.A. in Business Administration from Charter Oak College, and a fellow of Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. She is also a frequent guest lecturer on housing policy at Yale and NYU.
Don't let the challenges of caregiving overwhelm you. Join us at the 3rd Annual Virtual Caregiver Symposium and empower yourself with the knowledge and tools you need to navigate your caregiving journey with confidence. Fill out the form below to reserve your space!
Register Now