Above: The Senior Center is working with the Alzheimer’s Association to offer programs and resources (photo cropped from Google Maps)
The Southborough Senior Center is continuing its work to help educate and support residents and families grappling with Alzheimers and dementia.
This Monday, July 30 from 10:00 – 11:30 am, the center will host the presentation “Understanding and Responding to Dementia”:
Behavior is a powerful form of communication and is one of the primary ways for people with dementia to communicate their needs and feelings as the ability to use language is lost. However, some behaviors can present real challenges for caregivers to manage. Join us to learn to decode behavioral messages, identify common behavior triggers, and learn strategies to help intervene with some of the most common behavioral challenges of Alzheimer’s disease.
Please stop by the front desk or call (508) 229-4453 to sign up. No Charge
This is an education program sponsored and presented by the Alzheimer’s Association
The Senior Center also hosts an ongoing monthly support group for Caregivers. From the summer newsletter:
We are still looking to build up participation in our Caregivers Support Group for those caring for a loved one with dementia. This group meets the second Monday of each month 10:30 to 12. Taking time out to get yourself support and build community with others in a similar situation are all part of the self-care which is so important to your own health and wellness. If you have any questions about this group, please feel free to call Cindy at (508) 229-4453.
The next date for that is August 13th.
The newsletter also shared this message about an effort to recruit “Dementia Ambassadors”:
BECOME AN AMBASSADOR
Secretary of Elder Affairs Alice Bonner is committed to making the Commonwealth dementia friendly. The Massachusetts Association of Councils on Aging (MCOA) recently received a large federal grant to help implement that goal. As part of all this, the Massachusetts/New Hampshire chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association is launching a “Dementia Ambassadors” program to train and support local volunteers who will provide training, help develop more support groups for caregivers and organize “meet-ups” of local folks with dementia and their care partners. A “meet-up”, will encourage small groups to get together at coffee shops, parks, museums, and other places where people can get out of the house and enjoy themselves.
If you are interested in learning more you can search “Dementia Ambassador” on the Alzheimer’s Association website at https://www.alz.org/manh/ or call Julie McMurray at 508-799-2386 or by email, jmcmurray@alz.org. You can also contact Emily Kearns at MCOA (call 978-604-0830 or email Emily at emily@mcoaonline.com).
The newsletter message was an “Elder Law with Frank and Mary” update from from attorney Arthur P. Bergeron of Mirick O’Connell. It followed:
If you have an elder law question, you can view my 10-minute Q&A Fireside Chats on Frank and Mary’s YouTube channel, www.YouTube.com/ElderLawFrankAndMary and find more in depth commentary on our blog at http://mirickoconnelltrustsandestateslawblog.wordpress.com/.
