Elaine Sanchez

In 1993 Elaine Sanchez was a single mother with three teenaged children. She was the general sales manager for the NBC television affiliate in Colorado Springs. And then her father, Quentin Kubin, a Kansas wheat farmer, suffered a debilitating stroke. In the ten years that followed, Elaine struggled to provide for the needs of her children, meet demands of her high-pressure career, and support her parents as a long-distance caregiver.

Based on her own experiences and the letters her mother Madelyn wrote during the time she cared for Quentin, Elaine developed a passion for helping others. In 2007 she published the unflinchingly honest and uproariously funny book, Letters from Madelyn, Chronicles of a Caregiver. Elaine now speaks at caregiving conferences and to healthcare organizations across the United States. She has an uncanny knack for finding hope and humor in the most challenging situations. Her articles have appeared in numerous newspapers and magazines, and she hosts Caregiver Help Radio, a one-hour weekly radio show on WebTalkRadio.net.

Finding Hope and Humor in Caregiving

Although Elaine has been described as a combination between Erma Bombeck and Garrison Keillor, don’t let the entertainment value of this program fool you. The message is profound.

In a program that is part keynote, part one-woman play, Elaine brings humor and heart to difficult topics such as caregiver anger, guilt, depression, and grief by sharing experiences from her book, “Letters from Madelyn, Chronicles of a Caregiver.”

Although her story about Sex, Dementia, and Humor generates belly laughs, it serves an important purpose as it sheds light on a topic many family members have been too embarrassed to acknowledge or talk about.

This presentation is perfect for after lunch, after dinner, or any time the audience is in need of a jolt of energy and a good belly laugh.

Caregiver Survival Training

Caregiver Survival Training is an interactive program that helps family and professional caregivers cope with the emotional stress of caregiving.

Starting with a caregiver self-assessment, Elaine helps attendees recognize their current stress level. She then teaches the process of developing an Attitude of Creative Indifference toward caregiver anger, guilt, depression, and grief.

Depending on the needs of the audience, she will do special sessions on coping with challenging behaviors exhibited by people with Alzheimer’s and other dementia-related diseases.

The final portion of the program focuses on attendees developing their own personalized caregiver survival plan.

A full-day is ideal for this workshop, but it can be presented in a half-day session.