Neighbor News
Family Forum for Caregivers: Connecting Community Members to Community Resources
Family Forum, Caregivers, Community Resources, Early-Onset Alzheimer's, Dementia, Adult Day Health, Cooperative Elder Services, Inc.
On Saturday, September 24th, more than 40 community members gathered at the Concord Council on Aging to participate in Cooperative Elder Services, Inc.’s (CESI) Family Forum for Caregivers. The Forum provided the caregivers of people with early/young onset Alzheimer's disease with the skills and resources to better care for their loved ones and themselves.
On a beautiful fall afternoon, forum attendees gained wisdom and support from experts and service providers in the field of early onset Alzheimer’s disease. Event attendee Carl attended the forum with his wife Evelyn, who lives with Alzheimer’s (names have been changed to protect anonymity). Carl is Evelyn’s primary caretaker; he shared he was grateful to be able to learn about such a wide range of helpful resources in one place, and was enthusiastic about having an activity that he and his wife could engage in together.
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CESI’s Forum helped caregivers to reduce their stress while promoting the health and safety of their loved ones. In the words of Forum presenter Dr. Andrew Budson and his co-author Dr. Maureen O’Connor in their book Seven Steps to Managing Your Memory: What’s Normal, What’s Not & What to Do About It: “Although you may feel worried about having memory problems, today there is more we can do to diagnose and treat memory problems that ever before. In just the last few years there has been an explosion of new diagnostic tests and criteria to help evaluate memory loss, as well as a huge expansion in our knowledge of treatments, diets, and exercises.”
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Dr. Busdon was joined as a presenter by Dr. Yakeel Quiroz, Dr. Deborah Bier and Jennifer Ashe Quinn of ComForcare, and Margaret Hoag of Eckel, Morgan & O’Connor. Nearly 20 local vendors participated in the Resource Fair component of the forum.
The Family Forum for Caregivers was made possible thanks to the generous support of the Foundation for MetroWest.
About Cooperative Elder Services, Inc.
Founded in 1979, CESI operates private, non-profit adult day health centers in Arlington, Burlington, Concord, Groton, and Milton. CESI serves at-risk seniors and adults with disabilities in need of post-acute care; each year these participants make 42,000 daily visits to CESI’s centers. CESI provides participants with: comprehensive and cost-effective nursing care; chronic disease management; preventive care; nutritional support; socialization with peers; therapeutic and meaningful activities; habilitation and rehabilitation; assistance with activities of daily living; and door-to-door transportation. Family caregivers benefit from respite, education, and support groups. To learn more, please visit www.ElderDayServices.org.
About Foundation for MetroWest
Established in 1995, the Foundation for MetroWest is the only community foundation serving the 33 cities and towns in the region. We promote philanthropy in the region, help donors maximize the impact of their local giving, serve as a resource for local nonprofits and enhance the quality of life for all our residents. Since inception, the Foundation has granted $11.6 million to charitable organizations and currently stewards more than $15 million in charitable assets for current needs and future impact. To learn more, please visit www.FoundationForMetroWest.org or call (508) 647-2260.
