It’s finally going to happen – A Walk to End Alzheimer’s is in the planning stages.  It will be held at the Fairhope Pier on September 20, 2014.  The kick-off party is planned for Tuesday, May 13th from 5 – 7 at Laps Grocery and Grill.

I recently sat down to lunch with a lady who is making a difference in our dementia community.  She arrived in town 8 years ago with the determination to provide a service agency for the elderly.  She has done that and so much more. To try to understand it all, I had her draw a schematic outline of all the things she has created and directs. All tolled, 380 jobs have been created, providing services in Mobile, Baldwin, Escambia, Washington, and Monroeville counties.

You may be familiar with her Touching Hearts Senior Care, which encompasses in-home assistance, a safe discharge program, case management, and a pop-in service. She also helps veterans acquire assistance from the VA’s Aid and Attendance Benefits and offers a monthly support group.

Ms. Germany is the president of the Gulf Coast Senior Alliance, whose members provide quality and trustworthy care to the senior population on the Gulf Coast.

If that’s not enough, she has developed the non-profit Gulf Coast Dementia Services, Inc.  whose mission is to target the many needs of our dementia community, respite services being high on the list. Since dementia is our country’s fastest growing health concern with no cure in sight, I personally want to commend Ms. Germany on her foresight and determination to enable the many families living with dementia.  This group was responsible for the successful dementia conference featuring Teepa Snow held just this month.

You get a purple angel*, Gina Germany, for all you’re doing for dementia care.

*This Purple Angel symbol can be used by anyone raising awareness regarding dementia. It symbolizes a guardian over those living with dementia, their families and friends, as well as all those working to raise awareness about dementia world wide.

Teepa Snow knows how to make a lasting impression.  Her trademark characterizations of dementia keeps her audience engaged and amused.  But dementia is no laughing matter.  Anyone who cares for people with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia is faced with incomprehensible challenges.  Teepa Snow is on a mission to change the perception of dementia in society and instruct caregivers on positive approach practices.  Her recent visit to Mobile as the featured speaker at the “Lower Alabama 2014 Alzheimer’s and Dementia Conference” was a treat for all in attendance.  “That’s my mother,” was  tearfully said by one participant as Teepa role played out a typical scenario between a mother affected by dementia and her daughter.  Mrs. Snow’s 30 plus years working hands on with dementia patients has made behaviors caused by dementia to be second nature.  She recently published “Dementia Caregiver Guide,”  a family friendly guidebook to understanding the many facets and progression of dementia.  It can be purchased from her website, teepasnow.com.

In her presentation, Mrs. Snow demonstrated techniques for assisting someone with dementia into a car, how to help someone sit down in a chair safely, and how to substitute a dangerous situation with a safe one.  She stressed that understanding the limitations someone may be experiencing is helpful when providing care: realizing that vision is limited,  awareness that while hearing may not be impaired, understanding  meanings of words may be, and that the use of hands and feet are altered. “All due to changes in the brain”, said Teepa Snow, referring to images from the projector that clearly show vacant spots where tissue once was.

The attentive audience got to rehearse techniques with partners to help apply her practical teachings.

Teepa Snow’s keen awareness of people’s behavior makes her an excellent teacher.  Thank you, Teepa Snow, for coming to Mobile and moving us forward in our approach to care.  Thank you Gulf Coast Dementia Services and Mercy Life,  for this invaluable lesson made available to our community today. May all that was learned go forth and multiply throughout our care community.

This article sums up the day beautifully.

Next week is the annual Alzheimer’s Association Advocacy Forum in Washington, DC.  I will be attending as a Advocate for the Mobile area.  Watch for coming posts of all the activities and excitement.

Today, Peter Cowley, Associate Director of the Alabama/ Florida Panhandle Alzheimer Association and I paid a visit to Bradley Byrnes’ office in the RSA Tower.  We dropped off Alzheimer Association literature to announce the association’s presence in our area and purple cupcakes to leave a lasting impression.

 Today’s meeting was informative for our community of interested caregivers and dementia services.  Julie McGee, Director of the Area Agency on Aging, discussed the result of the survey taken at the last meeting.  An opportunity was given for participants to sign up for future committees.

Gay Watson, the Area Agency Outreach Coordinator,  reviewed the upcoming Senior Expo and encouraged all to attend.

2014 Mobile Senior Lifestyle Expo (2)Sponsor-booth contract Senior Expo 2014

Della Sanchez, AL Cares Coordinator, made her big announcement that the first Caregiver College is slated for Tuesday, June 10 and Wednesday, June 11 from 10:00 to noon each day.  Email Della at dellasanchez@sarpc.org for more information and to sign up as space is limited.

Teepa Snow, Dementia Expert

 Gulf Coast Dementia Conference is being held April 18, 2014 at the DePaul Center at Providence Hospital. Touching Hearts Senior Care, and Mercy Life of Alabama  are currently the main sponsors of the first ever conference in Lower Alabama.

Renowned Dementia expert, Teepa Snow, will be the instructor and provide professionals with CEUs. This is a conference you do not want to miss. Teepa will speak candidly to the audience regarding the ABC’s of Dementia, Understanding the Different Dementias and why do they do that? She will also discuss communication skills and challenging behaviors.

This is a free conference and seats are more than half full, now is the time to register.

You can register online or call Gina Germany at her office 251-445-4204.

“Your Turn To Care”  is a new television series which airs on PBS, Sunday night at 6 p.m.   To see segments of the series along with additional information, go to their website and Facebook page of the same name.

BETH REINERT – GUEST OPINION

Advocate seeks to change perception of dementia

Have you ever been asked the question, “Who would you most want to have dinner with?” My answer is Teepa Snow, an award-winning occupational therapist who has made it her mission to help family and professional caregivers do a better job of caring for people with dementia.

Snow is a mentor and voice of confidence for the millions living with the disease. I have learned from her teachings to better understand how to help my mom live with dementia.

I caught up with Snow recently in Mobile while she was there for a speaking engagement. We chatted for several hours about our shared focus: advocating for men and women who have dementia.

Dementia is an umbrella term that covers 70 to 80 conditions of brain failure. A dementia diagnosis is lifealtering for not only the person living with the disease, but also for the person’s family.

More than 50 percent of diagnosed types of dementia are Alzheimer’s cases, but often a secondary dementia emerges as the disease progresses.

Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth-leading cause of death in the U.S. No pill will take this problem away, so the key to a positive outcome is how caregivers manage our actions, words and reactions.

Snow has a message not only for families and care professionals, but also for all of society. “Policemen, firefighters, emergency room workers, postal service and bank employees all need to be familiar with the signs of dementia.” she said.

“We as a society must have a basic awareness of dementia and embrace people living with dementia instead of labeling them as demented people.”

Snow wants to change the perception of how dementia is viewed, take away the negative terminology and create the right setting and care for men and women with dementia.

At risk herself

Snow’s popularity took off in the late ‘90s after she presented a staff training model at the International Alzheimer Meeting in Washington, D.C. Her DVD, “Accepting the Challenge,” has been widely distributed. She is the most prominent educator for training on all aspects of Alzheimer’s disease care. That is why her calendar is booked through 2015.

Snow also has a history of dementia on both her mother’s side and father’s side of the family.

She knows she is at risk for developing the disease, so she is living life carefully by making good choices. She keeps physically fit, manages stress with yoga and deep breathing, and eats well.

Snow’s website, teepasnow. com, is full of information that both professional and family caregivers should see.

Free webinars can be accessed from her Dementia Care Academy, and DVDs are available for purchase. Not everyone can attend her workshops, but anyone with Internet access can learn from her teachings.

With the coming tide of senior baby boomers on the horizon, everyone needs to know about dementia. We should all get to know what Snow has to say about it.

Beth Reinert advocates for people living with Alzheimer’s disease. She authors the blog Caregiversunite.org, which includes general news and advice for families coping with the disease, along with event listings for the south Alabama area.

Printed in AL.com, Press-Register, September 18, 2013, page 10A

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