The Alzheimer’s Association Delaware Valley Chapter is proud to announce the induction of our Learning Academy, which is built upon four key components—education, guidance, empowerment and recognition—and devoted to helping our constituents…
- Improve their understanding of dementia and its impact on the individual, family unit and society
- Increase tools for delivering quality care to those affected
- Build stronger ties to agency and community resources
- Enhance and empower the caregiver journey
The Learning Academy offers free community education programs, such as Family Caregiver Training workshops and specialized seminars, as well as fee-for-service professional education workshops designed to equip professional caregivers with the tools necessary to provide quality care in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, hospitals, adult day centers, and home health and hospice agencies. A quarterly education catalogue—with the first publication scheduled for Spring/2008—will describe our many course offerings, provide a yearly calendar of programs so caregivers can plan ahead, include easy to use registration and request forms, offer advertising space for business and community supporters, provide dementia specific caregiving tools, feature bios about our distinguished faculty, and highlight “best practices” from family and professional caregivers. Stay tuned!
Family Caregiver Training workshops
These full day workshops are designed to give caregivers the tools they need to provide care for persons with memory loss. Seminar topics include, but aren’t limited to, communication and behavior, home safety, daily activities, personal care, caregiver stress, and legal and financial planning.Partnering with Your Doctor
This 90-minute workshop will help individuals with memory loss and their caregivers improve how they work with their doctor. This workshop will help caregivers:• Let your doctor know of and take care of your concerns
• Prepare for doctor visits
• Log the use of medicine and points to discuss
• Lower your stress
• Ensure the best health care possible
Maintain Your Brain®
This workshop features scientifically-rooted nutritional and lifestyle advice, interactive exercises and activities, and materials to take home for further reading. The program, created by the National Alzheimer’s Association, is for adults who want to learn more about staying fit and enhancing brain health and vitality.*Specialized Seminars
These educational opportunities explore various topics related to dementia care. Sessions range in length from 1 to 4 hours and are held throughout our tri-state territory. Descriptions for each course can be found in our online education catalogue (available Spring 2008). The following is a list of some of the topics we offer. *Courses are free to the community; however, we do charge $200.00 per hour to train health care professionals. Contact Krista McKay, Associate Director Education, at 856-797-1212, ext. 405 for more information about the professional education packages we offer.• Sharing the Holidays with Memory Impaired Loved Ones
• Accessing Community Resources
• Public Policy and Advocacy: Becoming a Champion for the Cause
• Understanding Legal and Financial Issues: Planning for the Future
• Planning Activities: Structuring the Day at Home
• Assisting with Personal Care: Overcoming Challenges
• Enhancing Communication: Interacting with Persons with Alzheimer’s Disease
• Understanding Challenging Behaviors: Responding to Persons with Alzheimer’s Disease Enhancing Your Home: Modifying the Environment to Ensure Safety
• Facing Late-Stage Care: Making End-of-Life Decisions
• Caregiver Stress: Signs to Watch for, Steps to Take
• Safety and Wandering Issues: Protecting Your Loved one Along the Journey
