Dementia care workshop offers help and hope
On June 28 Pine Tree Hospice is hosting a dementia care workshop from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Dover-Foxcroft Congregational Church. Kathryn Pears, founder of Dementia Care Strategies, will be the speaker.
Pears has a master’s degree in public policy and management and an executive certificate in health care policy from the Muskie School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine. Following a 15-year career with the Maine Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, she started her own company Dementia Care Strategies. Pears trains and consults with families, health and long-term care professionals and facilities, and aging and disability community agencies on the non-pharmacologic management of the challenging behaviors that occur with dementia. Pears also has personal experience, her own father being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at age 58.
The workshop will cover topics such as what dementia is … and isn’t, what to expect in each stage, medication, understanding what triggers behavior, creating a supportive physical environment, why people with dementia don’t see the world the same way and how that impacts care. The workshop is open to all personal and professional caregivers and healthcare workers.
This event is part of Pine Tree Hospice’s Caring for the Caregiver series, which is an ongoing program to educate, support and encourage area caregivers. Caregivers are individuals who take care of a disabled person, an older person who has difficulty with daily living or someone with chronic illness. They can be paid or unpaid, personal or professional. Caregiving is a demanding job that often receives little recognition from society. Pine Tree Hospice recognizes that caregivers need care. This is an issue that affects one in five Mainers. Another issue that is affecting many families in Maine is having a family member with dementia.
There is no charge for attending and lunch and snacks will be provided. To register, please call 564-4346 or email wecare@pinetreehospice.org.