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*HELP US HELP YOU! To plan for future programs, Chapter staff are asking that you take a quick on-line survey to tell us what program topics best suit your needs. To participate in this survey, please click here.
We offer several educational programs for families and individuals facing Alzheimer’s, as well as community members. Most of these programs, described below, are free of charge.
Family caregiver series
Alzheimer’s Disease: Across the Stages Partnering with Your Doctor Part 1: Workshop Introduction Participants will learn: Taking Control of Memory Impairment: Couples and families will learn about memory loss and other cognitive disorders, taking control of the problem, memory enhancement, and management of symptoms, issues such as driving the car, family issues, depression and anxiety, legal and financial planning, and supports and resources available. The education staff will include social workers, nurses, counseling, legal and other trained professionals experienced in the field of cognitive disorders. There will be opportunities for discussion and between-session practice assignments. Pre-registration and a personal meeting with a staff member are required. Please call the chapter office at 914.253.6860 before January 21 and speaks with Ellen Imbiano or Alice Feintuch to schedule a meeting. The program will be presented on the following Wednesdays, March 4th, April 1st and May 6th, at the Learning Center of the Visiting Nurse Association of Hudson Valley, 540 White Plains Road, Tarrytown, from 5:30pm – 7:30pm. A light dinner will be provided. The program is free but registration is required. Please call 914.253.6860 or 914.666.7616 x235 for more information.
Understanding Memory Loss
This one hour program covers general information about dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The program provides definitions of dementia and different types of dementia, introduces the 10 warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease, and discusses how to get a proper diagnosis, stages of the disease, and medications that are currently available.
Getting Connected
This program extends a special invitation to family caregivers of recently diagnosed individuals, and professionals, to visit the Alzheimer’s Association office and speak to staff about programs and services that are available in the area and how to gain access to them.
This series of four basic informational programs is designed for interested family and professional caregivers. The first two programs are suitable for the person with dementia as well as for family members. The last program is a panel with representatives from various care communities.
Caregiving Series
This series is comprised of eight free-standing programs designed for caregivers. The eight programs together cover a full range of caregiving issues. Each program is two hours long. However, caregivers may choose to attend any program that covers a topic of interest.
Caring Through the Holidays
(Seasonal – October/November)
The holidays can be fun-filled times with opportunities for families and friends to share laughter, great food, and fond memories and to enjoy old and new rituals together. At times, however, the holidays also can be filled with stress, confusion, disappointment, sadness, and increased feelings of isolation and loneliness. Many caregivers and persons with dementia have additional feelings of frustration, guilt, anger, or sadness as the demands for holiday events and traditions become overwhelmingly stressful emotionally, physically, and/or financially. This program teaches participants how to get through the holidays without burning themselves out.
Maintain Your Brain
(National Program for Baby Boomers & Well Seniors)
Maintain Your Brain® is a one-hour public awareness program directed to 77 million American baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964). The Alzheimer's Association is reaching out to the public to change the way the nation thinks about brain health, memory, healthy aging and Alzheimer's disease. Our goal is to create a powerful constituency of the passionate, particularly baby boomers, that places the prevention and cure of Alzheimer's disease at the top of its agenda by getting involved in the Association's cause, donating, advocating for policy changes and learning more about brain health.
(National Program for Caregivers & Persons with Early Stage Dementia)
The 90-minute workshop addresses the importance of partnering with your physician; provides an opportunity to assess your behavior when visiting your own physician; and examines challenges in physician/caregiver interaction. A 15-minute video (available in English and Spanish) demonstrates the effectiveness of applying the workshop techniques by depicting two different vignettes, each one showing what happens in a physician visit before and after participation in the workshop. The workshop is organized into the following seven parts:
Part 2: Why Be Partners with the Doctor?
Part 3: Self-Assessment Quiz & Discussion
Part 4: Challenges in Doctor/Caregiver Interactions
Part 5: "BE PARTNERS"
Part 6: Video & Discussion
Part 7: Conclusion and Evaluation
Educational Conferences
Throughout the year the Hudson Valley/Rockland/Westchester, NY Chapter holds conferences for both family and professional caregivers across the chapter territory. These events are either half or full day programs that provide information that is appropriate and relevant for both populations. Sessions may include updates on research and legal and financial information, as well as information on caregiving techniques and activity-based care.
An Education Program for Early Stage Individuals and their Care Partners
Persons recently diagnosed with early stage memory loss and their caregivers are invited to a 3-week family seminar, 1-3 pm, on Thursdays, January 29, February 5, and February 19 at the Westchester regional office, 2900 Westchester Ave, Suite 306, Purchase NY 10577.
Sensory Caregiving: A Special Touch
A Workshop Series about Holistic Strategies to Promote Wellbeing
The Westchester Regional office of the Alzheimer's Association, Hudson Valley/ Rockland/Westchester, NY Chapter and the Visiting Nurse Association of Hudson Valley are partnering together to present a series of three workshops for caregivers. The series, called “Caregivers – Come to the Senses,” will teach specific holistic approaches including aromatherapy, therapeutic touch, hand massage and uses of sound and color to improve quality of life and manage difficult behaviors. Caregivers will learn how to assess their loved ones needs and how to apply these techniques to help cope with their loved one and with their own caregiver stress.
For more information on the programs above, contact your local chapter office. Click here for a list of local chapter offices.
