The Caregiver Outreach Program will host &uot;Every Time Life Changes, Blow Bubbles,&uot; a workshop aimed at learning how to cope with change and uncertainty, at 10 a.m. Friday, June 6, in the HealthReach meeting room, 1705 S. Broadway Ave., Albert Lea.

Presenter is Pat Samples, a motivational speaker, educator and writer on caregiving and conscious aging. She is the author of &uot;Daily Comforts for Caregivers,&uot; &uot;Self-Care for Caregivers,&uot; &uot;Comfort and Be Comforted&uot; and three other books.

The author said her books were born from an experience she had talking with an 84-year-old man who was depleted and in profound but hidden grief as he cared for his wife with Alzheimer’s. &uot;His agony and exhaustion prompted my compassion. Ever since then I have been personally committed to supporting the well-being of caregivers,&uot; Samples said.

&uot;The books reflect what I’ve learned from the Twelve Step program and my own faith journey, as well as from the experiences of hundreds of caregivers I’ve talked with individually and in workshops I give. The books draw on my own experience caring for friends with extended illnesses,&uot; she said.

Samples frequently speaks and leads workshops on caregiving for family members and for the professionals who work with them. A Department of Human Services grant has supported her presentations statewide in Minnesota, and she is a frequent presenter in Iowa, South Dakota and other states. Among the more than 100 organizations that have hosted her talks and workshops are Fairview Hospitals, Lutheran Social Service, Minnesota Nurses’ Association, Good Samaritan Homes, Presbyterian Homes, Alzheimer’s Association, Catholic Charities, MS Society and Area Agencies on Aging. She also gives workshops and talks on conscious aging, spirituality, body wisdom and dealing with change.

Samples has a master’s degree in human development and has experience working in health care, social services and ministry. She is the editor of &uot;The Phoenix,&uot; a Minneapolis-St. Paul wellness publication, and has published hundreds of magazine and newspaper articles, locally and nationally, on health, aging and human behavior.

All caregivers &045; hands-on, long-distance or those coping with a loved one in a facility &045; are invited to attend Friday’s presentation. There is no charge to attend, and refreshments will be served.

For more information, call 373-0695.