(Durham, April 22, 2005) – For more than 100,000 people in New Hampshire, being a caregiver is their everyday job. Parents become ill and need assistance from their children. Spouses retire, and then spend their days looking after a husband or wife. Usually these responsibilities are unexpected, and few of us are really prepared for the demands and challenges of caring for another adult.How two Belknap County individuals are managing these roles will be highlighted Tues., April 26 @ 10 p.m. in this first of a series of six NH Outlook programs on the future of aging in the Granite State. The NH Outlook series on aging dovetails with a community outreach project recently launched by New Hampshire Public Television and Seniors Count/Easter Seals NH.Seeing Seniors: Shaping the Future of Aging in NH is a grant project focusing on improving the status and living conditions of Granite State senior citizens. Through the NH Outlook series and community forums, the project centers on increasing awareness of, and encouraging citizen involvement in, issues involving aging.During the Tuesday, April 26th NH Outlook segment on seniors, producer Phil Vaughn talks with a daughter who looks after her mother at home, and a husband caring for his wife at a nursing home. They share stories about the challenges they’ve encountered, and what resources have aided them. Viewers will learn how ServiceLink of Laconia is helping caregivers in Belknap County look after their loved ones while maintaining their own lives. This year, NH Outlook will offer five more stories focused on the issue of aging in the Granite State. NH Outlook, NHPTV’s award-winning nightly newsmagazine, is dedicated to statewide coverage of the people, places, politics, communities and culture that make the Granite State special. NH Outlook airs weeknights at 10 p.m., and again at 1 a.m. and 6:30 a.m.Community forums in four locations across the state will bring seniors and caregivers together with local leaders to discuss the kind of communities we want for ourselves and our neighbors as we age. The first forum will be held in Laconia on May 10 from 9 – 11 a.m. at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. To register, call NH ServiceLink Network at 866-634-9412. Information about Seeing Seniors is available at www.nhptv.org/outreach.Seeing Seniors is supported by Sound Partners for Community Health, a program of the Benton Foundation, with support provided by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Additional funding is provided by the Doris L. Benz Trust and New Hampshire’s Endowment for Health.Beyond its award-winning local and national television programs, New Hampshire Public Television is a leader in education and community outreach. NHPTV provides instructional services for 206,000 students from kindergarten through high school; offers Ready To Learn programs and services for children preschool to age 8, parents, and early education professionals; and provides professional development programs and advanced technology training for educators in New Hampshire and neighboring states. For more information about NHPTV programs that entertain, educate and enrich, visit www.nhptv.org.
About New Hampshire PBS: New Hampshire PBS inspires one million Granite Staters each month with engaging and trusted local and national programs and services on-air, online, via mobile, in classrooms and in communities. Beyond its award-winning television programs, New Hampshire PBS is a leader in education and community engagement. www.nhpbs.org
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