The local Home Instead Senior Care office is offering a unique approach to help Portage County area families manage the challenges of Alzheimer's Disease and other forms of dementia, diseases that eventually rob seniors of their memories and independence.
Free training for families caring for these older adults is now available through a Family Education Workshop which will take place Feb. 7 at 6 p.m. at Independence Village, located at 505 South Chillicothe Road in Aurora.
The training program offers a personal approach to help families caring for seniors with Alzheimer's disease at home, where 60 percent to 70 percent live, according to the Alzheimer's Association.
"Until there is a cure, we offer an interim solution," said Therese Kovatch, owner of the Aurora Home Instead Senior Care office.
The foundation of the Alzheimer's CARE Training Program is an approach called "Capturing Life's Journey" that involves gathering stories and experiences about the senior to help caregivers provide comfort while honoring the individual's past. Because people with Alzheimer's Disease have keeping short-term memories, the Capturing Life's Journey approach taps into long-term memory.
"The training we're offering to families is the same kind of training our professional CAREGiversSM receive," said Kovatch.
Also available is a free guide for those who are caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's Disease or another form of dementia. The guide includes advice to help families keep their loved ones engaged and manage behaviors.
"There was previously no good program available using adult education techniques to provide hands-on practice in learning how best to help people who suffer from dementia," said Dr. Jane F. Potter, chief of the Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Families caring for seniors with Alzheimer's at home cope with challenging behaviors such as anger, aggression, wandering and refusal to eat, according to research conducted for the Home Instead Senior Care network.
For more information, call Home Instead Care at 330-995-1522 or 330-297-1700.
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