Wider Horizon's Webcasts

National Family Caregivers Association

Town Hall Meetings: "Strengthening Families
and Communities for Caregiving"
More than 25 million family members provide at least 20 hours of care a week to an ailing loved one. Over the next decade, an estimated 47 million Baby Boomers will become caregivers to a parent, relative or elderly friend, and thousands of seniors will face the burden of caring for a chronically ill spouse.

In order to create more supportive and responsive communities for caregiving families, the National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA) is organizing a series of regional Town Hall meetings in the following metropolitan regions:

• Maryland - Monday, Oct. 29, 2002
  
  
• Philadelphia - Wednesday, November 20, 2002 View the archive.
  
  
• Boston - Saturday, September, 2003 View the archive.
  
  
• Washington, DC - Tuesday, February 24, 2004
  
  

The Town Hall Meeting is an opportunity for citizens to voice their concerns and opinions on a given topic in order to set a community agenda.

The topic of the Town Hall Meeting in Philadelphia was Creating Community Solutions to the Costs of Caregiving. Family caregivers, recipients and others whose professional roles put them in daily contact with family caregivers were invited to share their concerns and explore solutions with policy makers and leaders who can make a differen ce. Moderated by WHYY's Tracey Matisak.

The topic of the New England Family Caregiving Town Hall Meeting at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum in Boston, Massachusetts was Prepare To Care, From Information To Action. US Representative Edward J. Markey joined with a panel of experts and providers to raise public awareness about the value of family caregiving and to provide practical, useful information for family caregivers. Moderated by Madge Kaplan, WGBH Radio.

WHYY is NFCA's technology partner for the town hall meetings, providing webcasts at www.whyy.org/widerhorizons. To view a live webcast or the archive, please run the Wizard when asked, to ensure that your computer has the necessary software (available for free if you need it). WHYY thanks ULiveandLearn for its support.