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Chat Archive

Making the Connection:  How to Talk (and Listen) to People Living with Dementia

Live chat with expert: David Troxel

Communicating with individuals living with dementia can be challenging for caregivers, care partners and family members alike. Join David Troxel, an internationally known expert in Alzheimer’s disease and memory care and author of The Best Friend’s Approach to Alzheimer’s Care, and Home Instead Senior Care gerontologist and caregiver advocate Lakelyn Hogan to learn practical, effective tips and techniques to approach and improve communication.

Join to learn an overview of how Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias impact communication, in addition to:

  • The importance of verbal and non-verbal communication
  • Why persons with dementia say “no” often
  • The ethics around truth telling
  • The power of reminiscence
  • Later stage communication

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Dementia Care in the Time of Social Distancing

Live chat with expert: David Troxel

As the world adjusts to creating new routines in a time of social distancing, family caregivers are faced with new challenges that may include working from home while providing care and finding ways to stay connected with friends and families. Join David Troxel, an internationally known expert in Alzheimer’s disease and memory care and author of The Best Friend’s Approach to Alzheimer’s Care, and gerontologist and caregiver advocate Lakelyn Hogan to learn:

  • Ways to connect with loved ones via technology
  • Activities caregivers can do with a loved one while being 6 feet apart
  • Finding time to practice self-care
  • Tips for staying positive during challenging times
  • Stress management techniques

We will take live questions during the chat, or feel free to send them in ahead of time to [email protected].

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Caring for someone with Frontotemporal Degeneration

Live chat with expert: Matthew Sharp and Deena Chisholm

Frontotemporal degeneration is the most common dementia for those under age 60, yet it’s widely misunderstood and too often misdiagnosed. Join experts Matthew Sharp and Deena Chisholm from the Association of Frontotemporal Degeneration and gerontologist and caregiver advocate Lakelyn Hogan for an overview of Frontotemporal Degeneration. Participants will learn: 

  •  How frontotemporal degeneration differs from Alzheimer’s and other dementias 
  • Signs, symptoms and behaviors 
  • What the diagnosis journey looks like 
  • How caregivers can support a loved one 
  • Resources available for families  
  • Recent research and clinical trials 

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Moving from ‘Why me?’ to ‘What’s next?’

Live chat with expert: Cynthia Huling Hummel

After receiving an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, it can be challenging for some individuals to move away from denial to living a life filled with hope. Learning how to process the emotions and challenges that accompany dementia can help those living with the disease, caregivers, and family members navigate the disease more positively.

Join gerontologist and caregiver advocate Lakelyn Hogan and advocate, artist and author Cynthia Huling Hummel as Cynthia shares her personal experience of what it’s like to live with Alzheimer’s. She will share how she expresses her emotions and struggles through art and her book, “UnMasking Alzheimer’s.”

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How to Be Present with Dementia

Live chat with expert: Miekka Zanders

Individuals with dementia demonstrate presence every day, and they ask us to enter their world and connect with them. For caregivers, being present by providing undivided attention, to a spouse or partner, children, friends, coworkers can be challenging especially while caring for a loved one with dementia. But, true presence provides life’s greatest reward: a sense of love and belonging.

Join gerontologist and caregiver advocate Lakelyn Hogan and Miekka Zanders, care provider and author of Being with Dementia, for stories that illustrate the power of presence when caring for individuals with dementia and suggestions, tips and insights to incorporate more presence into daily activities. To learn more about the book, check visit: www.beingwithdementia.com.

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Diminishing Stress During the Holidays

Live chat with expert: Lakelyn Hogan and Molly Carpenter

Family traditions, hosting get-togethers, cooking large meals, shopping for gifts and out of town guests accompany the holiday season. Add that to the top of a family caregiver’s daily routine and this time of year can bring on additional stress for family caregivers and those living with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. Join Home Instead Senior Care’s gerontologists, Lakelyn Hogan and Molly Carpenter for a tip-filled conversation about caring for your loved one (and yourself) throughout the holiday season.

Get tips on:

  • How to manage caregiving during the holidays and ask for help
  • Set expectations with loved ones and visitors
  • How to bring your loved one with Alzheimer’s into the celebrations
  • How to care for yourself during a busy season
  • Gift ideas for loved ones with Alzheimer’s

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Family Dynamics in Caregiving: How to Improve Communication & Make Decisions Together

Live chat with expert: Terry Frangiosa

There are nearly 16 million adult family caregivers caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia. Often multiple family members are involved to help with care, make decisions and fund care-related expenses. But sharing the responsibilities amongst the family isn’t always easy or equal. Siblings can squabble over unpaid bills, heirlooms, who’s providing care, hiring care and the list can go on.  

Join Terry Frangiosa, a former family caregiver for her mom with Alzheimer’s and passionate Alzheimer’s advocate at UsAgainstAlzheimer’s for a unique perspective on hiring in-home care for a loved one living with Alzheimer’s and navigating the ups and downs of siblings working together (or not) to care for an aging loved one. Get tips on how to more successfully navigate the variety of family dynamics involved in caregiving and how to improve communication and decision-making abilities.

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Alzheimer’s & Home Care – How it Works

Live chat with expert: Linda Lundeen

Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s or dementia takes a team: physicians, pharmacists, caregivers, loving family and neighbors. Adding a professional caregiver, who is trained in Alzheimer’s care, to the team to help with your loved one’s personal care, meal preparation, medication reminders and housekeeping can provide much needed respite for family caregivers, as well as social and mental engagement for your loved one.

Join Linda Lundeen, 2019 West Region CAREGiver of the Year, to learn more about when and how to introduce home care into your loved one’s caregiving plan. Linda will share what families can expect from a professionally trained Alzheimer’s caregiver, tips for a smooth transition, and various funding options to pay for home care.

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Empowered to Become a Dementia Friend

Live chat with expert: Colleen Fritsch

When someone receives a dementia diagnosis, it impacts more than the individual; family members, employers, neighbors and communities. Understanding Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia can help communities at large support those with dementia. Join Colleen Fritsch, Master Trainer with Dementia Friends to learn what it means to be a dementia friend.  

 Whether you’ve never heard of the disease or you’re actively providing care, we hope to provide you with tools to improve dementia awareness and empower you to be more cognizant of how we all can help someone with dementia or a caregiver. We’ll also discuss common dementia misconceptions and share Alzheimer’s friendly business practices. 

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Boundaries in Caregiving: Preventing & Avoiding the Martyr Syndrome

Live chat with expert: Jennifer Fitzpatrick

Caregivers are amazing individuals, selflessly devoting their time, energy and financial resources to make life better for a loved one living with dementia. Despite good intentions, many caregivers unintentionally take on too much, putting their own health and well-being at risk. When caregivers develop “the martyr syndrome” and are reluctant to look for or accept help, the consequences can be devastating. Join expert Jennifer Fitzpatrick, author of “Cruising Through Caregiving: Reducing the Stress of Caring for Your Love One” and host Lakelyn Hogan us for an interactive discussion to learn how to set caregiving limits while still providing excellent care for a loved one.

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