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Aaron Blight, Ed.D., founder of global consulting firm Caregiving Kinetics, has been named a member of Well Spouse Association’s Honorary Board. International speaker, writer, and adjunct professor at Shenandoah University, Dr. Blight formerly served as a national healthcare policy leader at the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Bob Mastrogiovanni, Well Spouse Association President, expressed his positive outlook on Dr. Blight joining the honorary board. “His vast experience as a CMS leader and home care agency owner make him uniquely qualified to understand the plight of our caregiving spouses and partners. His background and education give him the ability to be a commentator who can analyze the caregiving experience academically and do it with the empathy of one who has been there. Caregiving for an ill spouse or partner has special challenges because of the intimate nature of the spousal relationship and he understands those relationships better than anyone. We look to the future with optimism because our relationship with Dr. Aaron Blight. “
Well Spouse® Association is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) membership organization that advocates for and addresses the needs of individuals caring for a chronically ill and/or disabled spouse/partner. The organization advocates on behalf of spousal caregivers, and promotes initiatives to help caregiving spouses cope with the emotional and financial stresses associated with chronic illness and/or disability. Well Spouse also coordinates a national network of support for caregiving partners, including a calendar of peer-to-peer support groups, a mentor program, and an online forum on which spousal caregivers can share coping skills and encouragement.
“After so many years developing healthcare policy, I thought I knew something about caregiving,” said Dr. Blight. “But it wasn’t until my wife’s mother was diagnosed with a brain tumor that I really began to understand the scope and significance of caregiving on a personal level. The experience was so profound that it prompted me to redirect my career path in hopes of using that knowledge to better serve people facing the same challenges as Jessica and I had.”
“Through Caregiving Kinetics, I’ve also had the opportunity to learn more about the caregiving experience from a spouse’s point of view,” continued Dr. Blight. “Caring for a partner who is going through a steady cognitive or physical decline is a unique challenge, and associations like Well Spouse are invaluable to the caregiving spouse.” Dr. Blight discusses the concerns of spousal caregivers in his forthcoming book to be released later this year.
As a member of Well Spouse’s Honorary Board, Dr. Blight will help promote the association’s resources and programs among spousal caregivers and other members of the caregiving community.
Posted in News, Organizational Caregiving