Asian Center SEMI announced the Caregivers Support Program for Chinese participants in Ann Arbor area. The caregivers support program was structured to form support groups within senior housing members that spoke the same Asian language. Community health workers that spoke the same language lead the group discussion and trained the group members through discussion topics. The program was offered to Chinese participants at present and would be adopted for other Asian groups in the future.
View Ann Arbor Chinese Caregiver Support Program 2021 Seminar Recording YouTube Playlist >
Goals of the Program
- Improve caregiver mental health by forming supporting partners.
- Form support group of 20+3 caregivers.
- Exchange experience and learn from each other.
- Improve self-care for caregivers to keep their own health.
- Adding nutrition and exercise info.
- Acquire health knowledge/skills through a series of seminars on common chronic diseases.
- Offer seminars on common senior chronic diseases.
Program
Specific Aims
- Offer seminars of common chronic diseases to help caregivers understand their patient’s needs for better care; and also prevent them for themselves if possible.
- Conduct support group meetings to discuss their problems and improve their mental stability.
- Provide them pandemic updates of the local status in every gathering to ease their anxiety.
| Housing | Support Leaders | Bldg. Coordinator | # of Participants | Meeting Dates |
| Cranbrook | Lisa & Anne | Rong Wei | Wk 1 & 3 Tue 11 am – 12 pm | |
| Carpenter | Joyce & Jan | Min Zhang | Wk 1 Tue, 11–12 pm, Wk 3 Tue, 1-2 pm | |
| Parkway Meadow | Trudy, Daisey & Lauren | Daniel Lin | Wk 1, Tue 11-12 pm Wk 3, Thu 11-12 pm |
- Number of participants: 20+3.
- Meeting day/time: either weeks 1 & 3 or weeks 2 & 4, one hour each meet week 1 & 2 are for seminars, 3 & 4 are for support meets.
- Meetings start in May and ends in November for 7 months. Seminars can be 6.
- First meeting is for seminar and 2nd for support.
- Meetings start with tele-meet or Zoom, after lock down lifted, can be in-person. It’s once a month, with travel expenses.
- There are 2 leaders in each support group, one has to attend the seminar and taking notes of questions, especially when watching recordings.
Seminar Series
| Month 1 | Month 2 | Month 3 | Month 4 | Month 5 | Month 6 | Month 7 |
| Nutrition and High Cholesterol | Diabetes | High BP, AF | (Skip) | Cancer screening | Arthritis & Osteo-porosis | Mental Health or Incontinence |
- The first seminar of the month will be live, the other 2 will be from recordings.
- Q&A for recordings will be answered if there is time, otherwise be discussed during the support meetings.
Recommended subjects for discussion at the support gatherings if needed
| May | Exercises (3 categories: flexibility, strength & aerobic/durability), at least 150 min/week; how to manage negative thoughts |
| Jun | Carbohydrate: whole grain, unrefined, less process more nutritional Nutrition principles, how to eat a balance diet (USDA plate) |
| Jul | how to turn negative thoughts into positive thoughts Abdominal breath (deep breathing), & meditation |
| Aug | Protein: animal protein, plant-based protein, pro-/con- How much protein should a person consume in a day? |
| Sep | Stretch/Flexibility exercises: yoga, tai-chi etc Cardiovascular exercises: running, jogging, aerobic, zumba |
| Oct | Fat: saturated, unsaturated and mono-unsaturated (best) How much fat can a senior take in a day? |
| Nov | Durability: walking, brisk walking (raise heart rate to achieve cardio goal) Swimming, resistance walking |
Please contact Asian Center – Southeast Michigan for further information.
