Managing Dementia Care in the Time of COVID-19 with TEEPA SNOW

Saturday, August 29, 2020 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Live, FREE Video Conference via Zoom Conferencing presented by Alzheimer’s Family Support Center of Cape Cod

“COVID-19 has not diminished the needs of families dealing with dementia diseases, it has increased them,” says Alzheimer’s Family Support Center Executive Director Molly Perdue. Staying safe during a pandemic is challenging enough for most of us; keeping someone with cognitive loss safe adds a whole other layer of difficulty to the mix. The challenges Alzheimer’s families are facing is unprecedented, and requires an unprecedented response.

For the third year in a row, the Alzheimer’s Family Support Center, a community-based 501(c)3 nonprofit providing free services to individuals and families living with dementia disease, is hosting the John Levin Memorial Free Alzheimer’s Conference with nationally renowned dementia expert Teepa Snow.

This year’s conference, offered for the first time online via Zoom, will cover topics specific to the navigation of dementia disease during the COVID-19 pandemic, and is suitable for both professional and family caregivers. CE’s will be given free of charge. “It’s our way of saying thank you to all the dementia care providers who have been on the frontlines of this pandemic response from the beginning,” Perdue says.

Because the conference will be offered via Zoom, the AFSC will be able to provide this conference, including free CE’s for professionals, to 5,000 participants, serving a broader regional community.

Family caregivers are on the front lines of dementia care every day, and there is much for them in this conference. Caitlin Greenwood, RN, and her mother Martha Moynihan, retired RN and primary caregiver for husband Gerry Moynihan, both attended the 2019 conference. Martha says: “We both learned so much from the conference, especially simple communication skills that have helped us be more patient and respectful of Gerry and where he is at. Caitlin was able to share a lot of the simple skills she learned with coworkers at her hospital to improve their patient care.”

Professionals as well as family caregivers benefit from the education the conference provides. Dorothy Burritt, Director of the Eastham Council on Aging, closed her office last year so that all her staff could attend the free AFSC event. “Teepa Snow’s program helps you see things through the eyes of someone navigating the Dementia journey. She helps you understand the ups and downs on a real level, and leads you to a path of positive care and support,” Burritt says.

Says Christine Ross, Executive Director of Bridges by Epoch at Mashpee, “We are very thankful to the Alzheimer’s Family Support Center for providing the opportunity for us to send our staff and family members to the Teepa Snow conference each year. The education and deeper understanding Teepa provides empowers all caregivers to enrich the lives of those they are caring for with dementia, Alzheimer’s, or other memory impairment with love, empathy, and humor. I encourage everyone to attend this powerful conference, you will leave with so many tools to help you on your journey as a caregiver.”

The Alzheimer’s Family Support Center is a 501(c)3 nonprofit providing free clinical and social support, information, education and social connection to families living with Alzheimer’s and other dementia-related diseases.

To register for the conference, go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/john-levin-memorial-virtual-free-alzheimers-conference-with-teepa-snow-tickets-109989355122.

For information about free services, please call (508) 896-5170, email support@capecodalz.org, or visit http://www.alzheimerscapecod.org.