North Shore Alzheimer's Partnership Conference

Contact:

Jennifer Wenger, Lahey Health Senior Care

978.587.6112

Pamela Morin, BAYADA Home Health Care

978.762.8610

North Shore Alzheimer’s Partnership Presents

16th Annual Conference November 1

Workshops, Speakers and Resources for

Those Caring for People with Alzheimer’s

The North Shore Alzheimer’s Partnership will host the 16th Annual Caregiver Connections Conference on Saturday November 1, 2014 from 8:30am to 1:30pm at the DoubleTree by Hilton Boston North Shore located at 50 Ferncroft Road in Danvers, MA.

This year’s conference is themed “Moments of Success: Engaging People with Alzheimer’s and Dementia.” The event will feature two educational tracks, one for professional caregivers entitled “Laughter is the Best Medicine,” and one for family caregivers, “Dementia is Not Your Friend! Dealing with Difficult Behaviors and Caregiver Guilt.”

The professional breakout session will provide 3 CEU’s and is led by Sandra Boris-Berkowitz, Laughter Yoga Leader. Sandy is certified by the Dr. Kataria School of Laughter Yoga. She is also a teacher and a licensed rehabilitation counselor; she earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees in education from Boston College. As the leader of Laughing Matters workshops, she leads participants through a series of exercises incorporating laughter, chanting, dancing, singing and relaxation breathing.

The family breakout session will be led by Maureen Banks RN, CDP, CADDCT. Maureen is a Director at BAYADA Home Health Care and is certified by the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners to present their training program. Maureen has been involved in creating a Dementia training program for BAYADA and has presented seminars on Dementia all across the country. Maureen is a Registered Nurse with a passion for providing quality care to clients and families, especially those affected by a diagnosis of dementia. Maureen is the Director of a home health assistive care office and is very active in volunteering for the Alzheimer’s Association.

The event will feature keynote speaker Dr. Robert Portney, MD. Dr. Portney is a geriatric neuropsychiatrist on the faculty of Harvard Medical School serving as a supervising physician and part time instructor in the combined MGH/McLean Hospital training programs. Dr. Portney will speak on “The Diagnosis and Treatment of Dementia”. Dr. Portney currently provides inpatient consultations at both the MGH and McLean hospitals and outpatient care at the McLean Hospital Memory Diagnostics Unit and the NGH New Health Clinic.

The event will close with a speech by Joshua Freitas, Director of Memory Care Programming and Services for Benchmark Senior Living. Joshua has worked with those effected by memory loss for many years, not only as someone involved directly with dementia programming, but also as a music therapist and researcher. He is certified in a number of dementia-related practices and music-related therapies, and he has been involved in pioneering a number of award-winning programs, including Intellectual Memory Develop Philology , Live Now; Live Engaged, and The Family Education and Resource Series. He is currently enrolled in a PhD continuum program at Lesley University where he studies Non-Pharmacological Approaches for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

There will be free care for those with Alzheimer’s provided by Spectrum Adult Day Health to allow caregivers to attend the workshops as well as an Alzheimer’s virtual tour presented by Ascend Hospice, a memory box demonstration by Yolanda Douglass, Memory Care Director as well as continental breakfast and a wide array of vendor booths offering Alzheimer’s related products and information and over 30 raffle prizes!

“This event will have a wealth of information for anyone affected by Alzheimer’s Disease, but it is really focused on giving family caregiver’s a place to connect with others on the same journey; for them to share tools, resources and stories,” says Pamela Morin, Director of BAYADA Home Health Care and Co-Chair of the North Shore Alzheimer’s Partnership.

Cost to attend the event is $10 for family caregivers and $25/single or 5/$100 for professional caregivers. Scholarships are available to those who qualify; email pmorin@bayada.com if interested in the scholarship. To register for the conference, visit www.eventbrite.com and search North Shore Alzheimer’s Partnership.

This event is able to take place thanks to the generous support of our sponsors: Benchmark Senior Living, Right At Home, Bayada Home Health Care, Spectrum Adult Day Health, BrightStar, Ascend Hospice, Caregiver Homes, ParentCare USA and The Law Offices of Spano & Dawicki.

For more information about the Caregiver Connections Conference or the North Shore Alzheimer’s Partnership, contact Jennifer Wenger, Lahey Health Senior Care 978.587.6112 or Pamela Morin, BAYADA Home Health Care 978.762.8610.

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Established in December 1996, the North Shore Alzheimer’s Partnership is a collaboration of public, private, professional and family caregivers. Our goal is to enhance the availability of community resources for dementia victims and their families. Through a partnership model, we are able to share resources, provide regional education and training and advocate with one voice. Meetings are held at different member locations each month and anyone interested may attend.

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