MEDIA RELEASE

Noted California author and educator Frances H. Kakugawa will conduct a series of Hawaii book signings and presentations in November, which is both National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month and National Family Caregivers’ Month.

Kakugawa travels the country speaking to health organizations, medical school programs, and caregiver and community groups about caring for loved ones suffering from Alzheimer’s or other debilitating, long-term illnesses.

Her message: that bringing dignity to the caregiving process makes the experience less stressful and more rewarding for both patient and caregiver. Kakugawa also advocates the power of poetry and creative writing to help ease the burden of caregiving — and to allow the caregiver to come to terms with the emotions of the situation, thereby building a healthier relationship with the patient.

In Hawaii, although many families share multi-generational homes, caregivers often have difficulty finding effective ways to deal with the burdens of caring for loved ones suffering from Alzheimer’s. The experience can be stressful and frustrating, as well as confusing for young children, and Kakugawa strives to help families better cope with the changed “new” person in their lives.

Kakugawa is a Hawaii-born educator who for five years was the primary caregiver for her Alzheimer’s-afflicted mother. She has published 10 books, including six from Watermark Publishing, which have won among them “Best Book” awards in children’s and non-fiction categories from Hawaii and California book publishers’ associations, as well as a Mom’s Choice silver award for Wordsworth Dances the Waltz, a children’s book about families living with grandparents with Alzheimer’s and other dementia-related illnesses.

Event schedule follows (all events listed are free and open to the public):

* Saturday, Oct. 20, 10 a.m.
Book Gallery, 259 Keawe St., Hilo
Book Signing

* Friday, Oct. 26, 10 a.m. – noon
Kona Regency at Hualalai, 75-181 Hualalai Road
Dignity in Aging Presentation
Sponsored by the Hawaii County Office of Aging. Registration is free & includes light refreshments. For further information, contact Debbie Wills at 323-4391.

* Saturday, Oct. 27, 9 a.m. – noon
Hawaii Island Adult Care; 34 Rainbow Drive, Hilo
Writing Workshop: Embracing Aging and Caregiving
Presented by the Hawaii County Office of Aging and Hawaii Island Adult Care. $10 registration fee includes light refreshments. For further information, contact Maile Young at 961-3747 ext. 111.