Alzheimer’s Association


Alzheimer’s Association

 
I’m thrilled to announce that our recent matching gift challenge has inspired another donor to step forward with anextra $10,000 matching gift opportunity of her own — but we have just two days to meet it. If you donated to our last matching gift challenge, thank you. Please consider giving again today to help us reach this exciting bonus goal.
This new, generous donor wishes to remain anonymous but has presented this gift in honor of her mother, who lost her life to Alzheimer’s disease. The additional $10,000 will make a difference in the lives of those affected by Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, but we’ll only receive this bonus gift if donors like you can help us match this amount by tomorrow.

Any amount you give will support Alzheimer’s Association efforts to advance care, support, advocacy and research. I hope you’ll take full advantage of this incredible bonus match. Please give today and help us achieve our vision of a world without Alzheimer’s disease.

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“Self-absorbed” millennials are increasingly caring for their elders

“Self-absorbed” millennials are increasingly caring for their elders

Millennials, America’s youngest adults, are finding themselves increasingly called on to care for their aging parents and grandparents, including those with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia. Studies show that millennials are more willing to be caregivers than previous generations.

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26 opportunities to learn during November

26 opportunities to learn during November

If you are curious about memory loss, look at Know the 10 Signs. If you need specific knowledge or just something to make your life easier, try Learning to Connect, Healthy Habits for a Healthier You or learn about Caregiver Stress: Relief, Acceptance and Empowerment. No matter where you are in the journey we have a program that will help.

Education Programs Calendar

There are currently 39 education program events listed in our database. To view and register for our events, use the search tool below.

Search for events by education program

Audio Conferences

Know the 10 Signs: Early Detection Matters

The Basics: Memory Loss, Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease

Legal and Financial Planning

Learning to Connect: Relating to the Person with Alzheimer’s

Living with Alzheimer’s: For Middle-Stage Caregivers

Caregiver Stress: Relief, Acceptance and Empowerment

Understanding Early Memory Loss

Dementia Conversations

Healthy Habits for a Healthier You

Alzheimer’s Research: Get Informed, Get Involved

Effective Communication Strategies

Understanding and Responding to Dementia Related Behavior

Your Service, Your Health, Our Focus

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Zion

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Alzheimer’s can’t keep a mother from imparting important life lessons

Alzheimer’s can’t keep a mother from imparting important life lessons

Christine Dileone’s mother has Alzheimer’s. An assistant clinical professor at the University of Connecticut School of Nursing, Dileone is learning that her mother can still teach life lessons while living with the disease.

1. Things that seem so important to us in our everyday lives just are not. Mom thought it was important that she follow the strict rules of her religion. She had to wear a skirt every day, as well as have her long hair in a bun. Mom never ever wore jewelry and rarely watched TV. Guess what? The aides put her hair in a ponytail, and she wears the Mardi Gras beads that she wins at bingo!

2. Being angry at family and friends for not taking the time to visit Mom in the nursing home/assisted living is not beneficial to anyone. Everyone is doing the best they can. Maybe they won’t know what to say when they visit, maybe nursing homes make them uncomfortable and they don’t know what to do with that feeling. It doesn’t mean they don’t love her, they do. Forgive, and let your expectations of them go.

3. Alzheimer’s does not take away love. Love is too big. Mom loved her God a lot. Alzheimer’s’ hasn’t taken away that love either. She suffers from chronic back pain, and when I ask her how her back is, she tells me it hurts. And then says God is good to me.

4. All that matters is our moments. That’s how Mom lives now, in the moment. All the things we worry about for tomorrow, so much energy spent on pointless worries. All we have is this moment, this day. Stay there.

5. There is some joy in Alzheimer’s. Yep, I said it. Mom did not have to deal with the pain of losing a niece and nephew that passed in their forties, whom she was close to. She doesn’t think about who is paying her phone bill and when she needs new clothes. She doesn’t know her ex-husband passed away, or that a sister in California died from the same disease she has. She doesn’t know that her sister first stricken with Alzheimer’s is the one in the bed right next to her. Or that yet another sister is on the third floor of the same facility with the same disease. She does not know that a fourth sister is now in the assisted living next door with a form of dementia. That is a lot of pain she didn’t have to face.

6. We will be together again one day. Her mind will be clear, and she will see how much she taught all of us by having Alzheimer’s.

7. It’s OK to be wrong. It doesn’t matter who is wrong and who is right anyway.

8. You will have people along the way that will come into your journey simply to help you and then move on (Power of Attorney and Health Care Proxy were not the first things on my brain!).

9. Alzheimer’s disease is a family disease, not an individual disease.

10. I’m stronger than I thought I was. You were right Mom!

About the Author: Christine Dileone MSN, RN, is an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Connecticut School of Nursing.  She uses the resources of the Alzheimer’s Association in her teaching, specifically on communication techniques with dementia patients to maintain dignity.  She is a Ph.D. nursing student at the University of Connecticut, and plans to continue research with individuals with Alzheimer’s.  She coordinates a monthly Alzheimer’s support group and is actively involved in the annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s® as well as The Champions in the Fight Against Alzheimer’s Women’s Campaign.

Learn More:

http://www.optimumseniorcare.com/services/alzheimerscare.php

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Sign up for November’s audio conference – Alzheimer’s

Sign up for November’s audio conference – Alzheimer’s

Join us on November 10 from noon to 1 p.m. for an audio conference on, tune in to music: it is a powerful tool.
Since the time of King David, Plato and Aristotle, music has been appreciated as a way to calm and heal. Studies are now helping us to understand how we can use music as a powerful tool to fight the devastating effects of Alzheimer’s. Join us to learn some valuable strategies that every caregiver and family member should know.

Audio Conference

Cost: None.

Registration
Register online below or to register by mail or fax, click here to download form.

Dates and time: 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Program

Day

Register

Tune In to Music: It is a Powerful Tool
Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Overwhelmed? Run, Don’t Walk to Get Help Now!
Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Listen to past Audio Conferences

Program and Date

Listen

Specific Strategies You Can Use

Description:
Are you too busy to attend an educational program? Audio Conference is designed for those who aren’t able to attend a program outside the home or office.

Once registered, you will receive through the e-mail, a toll free telephone number with instructions. On the day of the conference you will call-in and join many others who are seeking the latest information on memory loss.

Tune In to Music: It is a Powerful Tool
Kelly Willenborg, Founder, The Healing Jukebox
Since the time of King David, Plato and Aristotle, music has been appreciated as a way to calm and heal. Studies are now helping us to understand how we can use music as a powerful tool to fight the devastating effects of Alzheimer’s. Join us to learn some valuable strategies that every caregiver and family member should know.

Overwhelmed? Run, Don’t Walk to Get Help Now!
Susan Real, Executive Director, East Central Illinois Area Agency on Aging
By the time many caregivers realize that they cannot “do it all,” they are already overwhelmed by the demands Alzheimer’s makes on them. This month we will learn about various places to find caregiver resources, enabling caregivers to continue providing good care for their loved ones, and finding needed support for themselves.

http://www.optimumseniorcare.com/services/alzheimerscare.php

http://optimumseniorcare.com/blog/

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