educational programs
ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE AND OTHER DEMENTIAS:
ADVANCES AND ISSUES
November 15, 2007, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM
This program will review advances in research, diagnosis, techniques and
treatments that could prevent, halt or reverse Alzheimer’s disease
and other dementias. The session will also share the pharmacological and
behavioral interventions with persons affected by dementia as well as
explore the caregiver and patient perspectives on dementia. Also shared
will be information on how dementia affects diverse ethnic and racial
communities.
MORNING PLENARY SESSION, 8:30 AM TO NOON
Moderator: Tessa ten Tusscher, PhD, Vice President, Clinical
Services, Institute on Aging
New Developments in Alzheimer's Diagnosis and
Treatment
A discussion of new diagnostic tests and treatments for Alzheimer's disease
that are being studied in humans, and why the preliminary results are
creating a great deal of excitement among researchers for the possibility
of new more effective treatments and prevention of the disease.
— Adam Boxer, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor
of Neurology, Memory and Aging Center; Director, Alzheimer’s Disease
Clinical Trials Program, School of Medicine, University of California
San Francisco
The Spectrum of Treatment for Alzheimer’s
Disease
Ideally we would have drugs that alter the natural
history of the disease -- reversing, halting or slowing progression. Unfortunately,
at best we now can achieve a degree of symptom management for symptoms
in the cognitive, functional, and behavioral realms. Also discussed will
be complication prevention and education of patients, family and caregivers.
— Jay Luxenberg, MD, Director, Medical Services,
Jewish Home of San Francisco; Program Faculty, Geriatric Care and Outcomes,
Division of Geriatrics, Department of Medicine, University of California,
San Francisco
Risk of Dementia Among Elders From Diverse Ethnic
and Racial Backgrounds
Studies of dementia in ethnically and racially diverse populations have
found variation in the prevalence of some types of dementia. No data are
available, however, in many populations. Differences in risk factors help
explain some of the variation.
— Gwen Yeo, PhD,
AGSF, Senior Research Scholar Emerita, Stanford University School of Medicine;
Director Emerita, Stanford Geriatric Education Center; Co-Editor, Ethnicity
and the Dementias
Life With Alzheimer's Disease
A firsthand account of the feelings, challenges and fears of living with
Alzheimer's disease. Dementia impacts both the caregiver and the person
affected in many ways. This session will allow the audience a glimpse
into the lives of an affected family. Both a caregiver and an individual
with Alzheimer's will be interviewed providing each person's unique perspective.
— Tracy Chesna McCloud, Director, Adult Day Health
Center & Alzheimer’s Day Center, Institute on Aging; Family
Caregiver and Individual With Alzheimer’s
LUNCHEON ROUNDTABLES, NOON TO 1:00 PM
AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS, 1:15 TO 2:45 PM
** A Refreshing Approach to Communicating With
a Person Affected by Dementia
We aren’t born knowing how to communicate with a person with dementia.
This session will provide simple tools and tips for talking with and responding
to a person with dementia. It will also explore the caregiver’s
experience of ambiguous loss and its impact on effective communication
with the care receiver.
— Beth Logan,
MSW, Education Consultant, Family Caregiver Alliance
** Am I Losing My Mind? What’s Normal,
What’s Not and When to Worry About It —
Understanding the Differences Between Normal Memory Changes, Mild Cognitive
Impairment and Early-Stage Dementia
Many people experience changes in their ability to remember as they age.
These changes can be subtle. They are usually frightening and evoke worries
of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Professionals working in the
field of aging need to understand the differences and similarities between
normal memory changes, the spectrum of “mild cognitive impairment”
and the symptoms of early-stage dementia. This workshop will address the
profiles of these three areas, offer suggestions for identifying when
memory loss is clinically significant, and will discuss ways to talk about
cognitive changes with older adults, their families and caregivers.
— Tessa ten Tusscher,
PhD, Vice President, Clinical Services, Institute on Aging
** Activity Therapies: A Practical Approach
to Meeting the Individualized Needs of Persons With Dementia
Therapeutic activities should be thoughtfully planned, based in theory
and adapted to meet the cultural, physical, and cognitive uniqueness of
each individual. Activities improve self esteem, impart a sense of accomplishment,
and make available opportunities for socialization. Activities can improve,
maintain or slow the rate of physical and cognitive loss in elders and
in those suffering with dementia. Activity Therapists from Laguna Honda
Hospital will use slide shows, discussions, hands on activities and demonstrations
to share the many programs they provide for the residents in this 1065
bed skilled nursing facility.
— Henry Cortez, Recreational Therapist; Susan
Lindsay, MPS, Creative Arts Therapy; and Angela Pownell-Elizalde,
CTRS, Recreational Therapist, all of Dementia Cluster, Laguna Honda Hospital
and Rehabilitation Center
** Listening to the Language of Dementia: The
Person Behind
This session will take a look at current definitions and views of dementia,
what effects these perceptions have on how we treat and care for patients
with dementia, and how we can perhaps change our ideas going forward.
Modern medicine intends to alleviate and remove such disorders or diseases
through treatments that eliminate as best as possible the symptom. In
contrast, this session explores the idea that dementia and its manifestations
point to a meaning for humans that is our choice to understand more deeply
rather than to eliminate. Since all viewpoints represent a part of an
often multi-layered picture of a phenomenon, the presenter will also refer
to, wherever appropriate, the mainstream medical as well as psychological
understandings of dementia.
— Nader Robert Shabahangi, PhD, Clinical
Supervisor and Teaching Faculty, Pacific Institute
AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS – 3:00 TO 4:30 PM
** Home? Or Home Away From Home? Choices for
People With Dementia
At-Home: A diagnosis of dementia rarely changes the fact that
most people want to stay at home and age in place. We will explore the
factors that affect the ability to remain at home and discuss resources
which can support this choice as needs change.
Day Care: Adult day services are a valuable resource in helping
people with dementia remain in the community. Programs provide a range
of services from activities to nursing care, developed for each individual.
Caregivers are also helped by receiving support, information and a break
from the stresses of their lives.
Residential Care: In the therapeutic environment of assisted
living facilities people with dementia feel safe and supported in living
all the different dimensions of who they are. Such an environment cares
not only for the changing physical needs of residents but for their emotional,
spiritual and psychological needs as well. Special Units: As
dementia progresses, many individuals lose the ability to communicate
even their most basic needs. Their disease also often causes them to have
difficulty recognizing familiar faces and objects causing them to become
fearful, aggressive or resistive to care. Managing these behaviors in
the presence of the chronic illnesses of aging may require a level of
professional care or 24- hour care that is best met in special units.
— Stephne Lencioni,
MSW, CMC, Geriatric Care Manager, Older Adults Care Management;
Cindy Kauffman, MS, CRC, Vice President, Adult Day and Health
Services, Institute on Aging; Doris Bersing, PhD, Executive
Director, Pacific Institute; Gail Cobe, MSN, RN, Clinical
Nurse Specialist for Dementia Programs, Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation
Center
** Working With Family Caregivers From Diverse
Ethnic Populations
Families from many cultures prefer family care for their elders with dementia
rather than formal services. Providers working with diverse elders and
families should know the cultural perceptions of dementia and preferences
for services in individual ethnic populations. Issues and successful models
of working with ethnically diverse families will be presented.
— Gwen Yeo, PhD, Senior
Research Scholar Emerita, Stanford University School of Medicine; Director
Emerita, Stanford Geriatric Education Center and Co-Editor, Ethnicity
and the Dementias; Edie Yau, MA, Director of Diversity,
Alzheimer’s Association of Northern California and Northern Nevada
** Successful Strategies for Dementia Behaviors:
What Really Works?
This session will share information on how to successfully prevent and
manage challenging behaviors common in persons with dementia. Dr. Edgerly
will outline general techniques as well as specific in-depth approaches
to handling challenging behaviors. Attendees will analyze video footage
of persons with dementia and identify effective approaches to handle those
situations.
— Elizabeth Edgerly, PhD, Chief Program Officer, Alzheimer’s Association
of Northern California and Northern Nevada
** Spirituality and End-of-Life Issues for Dementia
Patients
The session will address the daunting question: how do we nurture the
spiritual well-being of people with dementia? We will explore some basic
principles and tools that can guide and shape the answer to this question.
The workshop will draw from general literature on the subject, as well
as from Jewish sacred texts.
— Rabbi Jon Sommer, Rabbi, Bay
Area Jewish Healing Center, Institute on Aging; Rabbi Sheldon
Marder, Chaplain and Director, Department of Jewish Life, Jewish
Home of San Francisco; Helen Luey, Volunteer Spiritual
Care Partner, Bay Area Jewish Healing Center and Jewish Home of San Francisco
Download
a flyer of this seminar series.
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