A recently formed Spokane volunteer group called Care Coalition is organizing community efforts centered on the health and well-being of caregivers, whether they're paid or volunteer.

Beverley Bumpas, the group's director who previously worked as a caregiver, says about 25 volunteers are involved in Care Coalition's activities to date for developing support programs and education for caregivers who perform daily-living assistance tasks, oftentimes for someone who is elderly or has a disability.

The group plan to host a convention Nov. 22-23 in the Lair Student Center at Spokane Community College, located at 1810 N. Greene, that expects to include more than 100 booths, as well as activities and services such as free massages and gifts for caregivers.

Bumpas says the Care Coalition volunteer group includes people from different industries, including some who work in accounting, financial planning, commercial real estate, education, and hospice care, who share a concern about senior residents here and their caregivers.

"We believe if we empower the caregiver to take better care of themselves, they can take better care of our loved ones," Bumpas says. "If you're not thriving, then how can you help another to thrive? There are many people who don't see the direct link between your health as a caregiver and the health of the one you're caring for."

Bumpas says about a dozen nonprofit groups and businesses so far have requested to reserve booths at the convention. She says organizers hope to offer caregiver continuing-education classes as well. The group also is exploring offering a licensed elder-care area for clients or family members of caregivers who attend, Bumpas adds.

"There will be booths that will have information including for those who may not think of themselves as caregivers, and for professionals," Bumpas says.

She adds, "There will be some pampering, because I personally want to make sure caregivers who come feel appreciated. They're the first person in front-line health services."

Bumpas says the coalition considers caregivers to be all individuals who provide care for people of all ages in homes, care facilities, and at other venues such as at churches or schools. Such caregivers range from assisted-living facility employees to someone who is a family member or neighbor.

"Right now, our focus is on senior health," says Bumpas, who has a Spokane Falls Community College associate degree in gerontology. "It's a movement based on the idea that we can take better care of people if we take better care of the people who care for them."

Bumpas has worked in the senior care industry for 19 years, including some as a caregiver and later as a marketing consultant. After receiving a business marketing degree from Eastern Washington University, she founded Bumpas Consulting and Realm Conceptions Inc. to provide consulting services to small- and mid-sized businesses and nonprofits.

Bumpas also serves on a human services and gerontology advisory panel for SFCC.

"Statistics show that caregivers are ones who are likely to get sicker or die before the ones they take care of," Bumpas says. "I saw that a high percentage of women caregivers end up in poverty themselves. Here they are taking care of people and end up needing care themselves, but in poverty. I see that as a cycle perpetuating itself."

She says many caregivers don't take the time to analyze their own physical and mental health because they're focused on caring for a loved one or a client. She also contends that caretakers often go home sapped of energy and lack extra money to take steps to improve their own health.

"Many times, caregivers 'care' themselves sick, and they 'care' themselves tired," she says. "We have a high amount of caregiver burnout. We want to provide them with the support and tools they need, so they don't burn out."

The convention likely will have a nominal entry fee, now planned at $5 a day per caregiver, but free for a client or a family member who attends with a caregiver, Bumpas says. She adds that the group is looking for sponsors to help offset attendees' costs.

The convention organizers also plan to offer vendor spaces dedicated to veterans as well as a group informational session focused on veterans and caregivers of veterans, specifically for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Bumpas says the session would apply to caregivers of veterans of any age, including people who recently have returned from combat duty.

Care Coalition doesn't have an office right now or paid employees, but rather its volunteers meet at organizers' offices in the Spokane area, Bumpas says.

The group expects to have an active website available later this month, and expects to include on it updates and registration information about the caregiver convention. However, Bumpas says that people don't have to register ahead of time and can pay any entry fee that might apply at the door.

"The idea behind the convention is to show that we care for caregivers," Bumpas says. "There are two kinds of caregivers, paid caregivers and volunteer caregivers. A lot of volunteers don't know they're caregivers. If you are someone who brings meals three times a week to Mrs. Smith and check in on her because you know Mrs. Smith from church, well, that makes you a caregiver."

She adds, "We want everyone to walk away from the convention feeling empowered and that there are resources to help them with their health."

One idea is to create a free exchange of gently-used medical uniforms, called scrubs, that often are worn by nurses and some people who work in caregiver positions, Bumpas says. She adds, "Those types of support systems we hope are generated from this convention."

Eventually, Bumpas says the group plans to include more support for caregivers of children who have disabilities or chronic diseases, though current efforts are focused mainly on senior caregivers.

"As we go forward and draw more people who are caregivers of children, we see Care Coalition as a growing and shifting organization," Bumpas says. "We want people to come together and look at these bigger issues."