The Truth Staff
On Tuesday, September 24, Neighborhood Health Association (NHA) will hold a free workshop for grandparents and kinship caregivers raising children. “Superheroes Need Support, Too” is the title of the resource workshop and will be held at the Cedar Creek Church South Campus from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
During the workshop, representatives from local support agencies, including the Area Office on Aging, Lucas County Children Services and Nami Greater Toledo, will lead working sessions on a variety of topics, letting attendees know what resources are available through their organizations and how to best access those resources.
Sessions will include topics such as self-care, community benefit support services, the Kinship Navigator Program, mental and physical health care and social services.
“When children are in need – and someone known to them steps in – it has a huge impact on positive outcomes,” said Doni Miller, CEO of NHA. “For those who are caring for adults, techniques on caring for yourself while caring for another are particularly important to reduce negative health outcomes for the caregiver.”
According to statistics supplied by the state of Ohio, more than 227,000 children in the state under the age of 18 live in homes whose caregivers are relatives other than their parents and, across the nation, approximately 2.6 million children live with a kinship caregiver.
“Many resources are available to help caregivers who have stepped in to help with children and adults in need,” explained Monica Morales, project coordinator for NHA. “We developed this workshop to give caregivers one place to learn about many different types of help available to them. It’s about supporting someone who is giving of themselves.”