About the Webinar: Self-care for the caregiver of a child with disabilities is a complicated topic that fellow caregivers find frustrating. The reality is simply most of us cannot fathom having the time or the capability to address our own needs ahead of a child with complex needs. This presentation encourages us to redefine what self-care really means for the parent of a child with disabilities. How do we reframe self-care in the context of our challenging lives? How do we discover achievable self-care? And, most importantly, how do we prioritize our own physical and mental health throughout this all-consuming journey? This webinar will explore the obstacles that often sabotage our own self-care and ways we can overcome them. While material in this webinar is focused on caregivers of children with disabilities, the content is applicable for all of us learning how to better take care of ourselves.
About the Presenter: Missy Longman is a mother, advocate, and co-founder of the SMS Research Foundation. Her 12 year old daughter, Sien
na, lives with a rare genetic disorder called Smith-Magenis Syndrome (SMS) which causes global developmental delay, challenging behaviors, and chronic sleep issues. Missy co-founded the SMSRF nine years ago along with another SMS mom to help direct much needed funding to the study of SMS in order to develop treatment options to improve the lives for those living with SMS and their caregivers. In addition, Missy authors the blog, Rarely Perfect, and her posts have been featured frequently on The Mighty. Missy lives in South Florida with her family: husband, Dan; daughter, Sienna; sons, Sean (11) and Ben (4); and Sienna’s service dog, Rumi.