Back by popular demand, Frances Kakugawa returns to Hawaii Island Adult Care to share insights and reflections through poetry and writing inspired by her caregiving experience with a mother with Alzheimer's. Frances reminds us that both loved one and caregiver deserve compassion, respect and a life with dignity.
Frances was born in Kapoho on the Big Island and is an award winning author of 17 books including Breaking the Silence: A Caregiver's Voice, I Am Somebody: Bringing Dignity and Compassion to Alzheimer's Caregiving and Echoes of Kapoho: A Memoir. She has taught in Hawaii, Michigan, and Micronesia, and was a State DOE curriculum writer, teacher trainer and lecturer at the University of Hawaii, College of Education. Frances was a caregiver for her mother who had Alzheimer’s disease and has been working with caregivers for over 20 years.