MINUTES – PKS COUNCIL ON SUCCESSFUL AGING
February 10 ,2026 – 10:30 a.m. Town Hall
Our vision: To expand the discussion of ways we can positively impact Pine Knoll Shores’ quality of life for our senior citizens and help each cope with issues that pose barriers to living comfortably in
Pine Knoll Shores and aging in place

Our February meeting was a special, interactive panel discussion format
focused on our Neighbors who are Caregivers

Continuing our focus on caregiving and dementia, a round table discussion was held with three individuals in our community who are living the challenges of caregiving. The discussion was led by Linda Langheld, an experienced and trusted facilitator in this field.
Three local residents – John Clarke, Steve Felch, and Shari Malone – each have directly dealt with the realities of caring for family members who cannot function without their help – accepted our invitation to tell their stories. The Council on Successful Aging (COSA) wanted residents to experience a powerful, personal conversation about caregiving in our in our community to open a dialogue around the challenges, and build awareness of the resilience and the compassion that caregiving requires each day. Every story is different and every solution complex.
Why was this an important experience?

• Caregiving touches almost all of us.  Even if you aren’t a caregiver today, chances are you will be – or you already support someone who is.
  ◦ According to a 2025 summary report of the US by AARP, care recipients themselves are mostly older adults; nearly half are age 75 or older. Most of these older adults face multiple chronic health conditions.
  ◦ The average caregiver is 51 years old.
  ◦ Women still account for the majority of caregivers (61 percent).
  ◦ In 2025, 63 million American adults provided ongoing care to adults or children with a medical condition or disability—representing almost one-quarter of all adults in the United States. This is a dramatic increase of 45 percent. As our nation ages, these numbers will continue to grow.

2.  Knowing where – and when – to turn matters.
3.  Understanding builds compassion. Discussion helps to build understanding and compassion for those involved with caregiving and those who depend on it. As a neighbor-helping-neighbor network, individuals may be able to pool resources across households to fill some gaps in care and understanding.
Caregiving has become longer term and more intensive:

• Thirty percent of caregivers provided care for five or more years, a significant increase from 2020. On average, caregivers spend 27 hours per week providing care, and 24 percent provide 40 or more hours per week.
• Two-thirds of caregivers help with at least one activity of daily living (ADL) like bathing, dressing, toileting, feeding, and mobility. Since 2020, more caregivers are providing some ADL assistance, and more caregivers are providing help with multiple ADLs. For many, these tasks are physically difficult—23 percent report struggling with these duties.
  The video of this session is on our YouTube channel and will be on our website.
  We hope this marks the beginning of continuing conversations.

Old Business:

I. Introduced Andrew Geddes, a Physical Therapist working at Peak Performance Sports & Physical Therapy in Morehead City, has offered to share techniques to restore function and improve movement, and ways stability and confidence in movement can be improved. We will review calendars to find dates to bring Andrew back for these demonstrations.

II. Get closure on the direction of the ideas previously discussed.

• Time Banking: presented by Kathy Driver
  Kathy will write up an introduction for Facebook introducing the concept and seeking an individual willing to partner with Kathy getting this established. Is this a go/no-go idea? What next steps should we pursue? Who will lead this initiative?

II. New Business: I am suggesting a different approach for our meetings going forward. Your time, interest, and commitment are very valuable and I would like to make sure you get something of value every time we are together. Keeping our vision statement in mind, let us know if you are interested in any of these ideas, and please add to the list:
◦ Carteret County Bridge Club is willing to teach people to play. We could do a demo at one of our meetings.
◦ The Crystal Coast County Club offers bridge and mahjong on alternate Tuesdays for those interested. You do not have to be a Club member. Donations are appreciation.
◦ We can invite police/fire/EMS to present safety protocols/recommendations in an emergency situation.
◦ A new floor Yoga class is being held at St. Francis on the 3rd Saturday of each month. Call for details: (252) 240-2388

THANKS to ALL! YOU ARE IMPORTANT!

LOOKING FORWARD TO A GREAT NEW YEAR!

Listen. Learn. Connect