( Gwinnett County , Ga. , July 30, 2010) – Keynote speaker is Ted Bowman who will present "Loss of Dreams". He is a family and grief educator, consultant, and author who specialize in change and transition.

"There can be a cost in the quality of care, caregivers are providing. This conference is to raise consciousness so caregivers can become more aware of some warning signals or alerts that they are overextending themselves. We are going to be better caregivers if we get renewed and rejuvenate ourselves," says Bowman.

The conference will address issues faced by those caring for another adult (spouse or parent) and those who are relative caregivers of children. There will be eight different topics covering issues about burnout, difficult behaviors, communication, and legal and financial issues. Exhibitors from several program agencies will be onsite to provide valuable resources for family caregivers.

Dorothy Chlopek is looking forward to attend the conference and gain some wisdom in raising her five grandchildren. It was not a future she had envisioned, but she has embraced it. Her advice to others is that they (grandparents) should accept their role in their grandchildren lives and to be a positive role model. She says, "When you hear what other people are going through, your problems don’t seem so bad. I get uplifted."

"Events in our lives sometimes become disappointments and shattered dreams. We need to grieve that shattered dream in order to create a new dream, create a new future story," says Bowman.

Bowman has received the Minnesota Council on Family Relations Distinguished Service to Families Award. He was a Minnesota delegate to the 1980 White House conference on Families, and in 2008, he received the Outstanding Achievement Award from the National Association for Poetry Therapy.

The Family Caregivers Conference will be held at the First United Methodist Church of Lawrenceville, 395 Crogan Street in Lawrenceville on Saturday, August 28, 2010 from 9:00am until 3:00pm. The cost is $10 per person. Please contact Julie Lucas at 770.614.2359 to register by August 20. Door prizes will be given out during the day. The event is sponsored by Gwinnett Senior Services and Senior Issues Action Team of Gwinnett Coalition for Health and Human Services.