blog

The annual Boulder County Caregiving Symposium will be held on April 8 at the Boulder Jewish Community Center. The event starts at 8:30am until 4:00pm. You can attend any sessions that you want throughout the day. The event fee is $5 which includes lunch and access to the the Resource Fair. Keynote address will be with Jane Barton discussing Collaborative Care: A life-giving approach to caregiving. Other sessions and facilitated workshops will cover topics such as caring for a parent, caring for someone with dementia, Medicaid mysteries: how to pay for long term care without going broke, what’s the difference between Alzheimer’s and dementia? You must register to attend. Call 303-441-1617 for more information or if you need financial assistance for respite care of an older adult so you can attend. Location is 6007 Oreg Ave., Boulder, 80303

Good article that explains the difference in roles between a hospital ombudsman and an independent, private patient advocate.

https://www.cleveland.com/healthfit/2019/09/patient-advocates-hospital-ombudsmen-are-meant-to-ease-the-load-do-they.html

The Alzheimer’s Association has many helpful tips for families and friends who have a loved one living with memory loss. Visit this resource section on their web site at https://alz.org/help-support/resources/holidays

The Colorado Chapter SPARK program for early to mid-stage memory loss is sponsoring a Holiday Sing-a-long Celebration on December 4 at 10:00am hosted by the Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks. The group will meet at the Sawhill Ponds Trailhead. Call 720-398-7324 to register.

The SPARK Holiday Social and Ballroom Dance will be held on December 12 from 1:00-2:30pm at the East Boulder Senior Center.

The popular Warm Water Fitness Class for early to mid-stage memory loss will meet at the East Boulder Senior Center pool on December 11. The program time is 10:15-11:15am.

There will be a free afternoon program called Living Well With Dementia on November 21st at the Longmont Senior Center. This is sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association and Boulder County Area Agency on Aging. Three (3) sessions will be available to the public. You can attend any or all of these sessions. This program is suitable for anyone living with dementia and their care partners.

1:00-2:00pm – The 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease

2:30-3:40pm – Dementia Conversations Q & A

4:00-5:00pm – Transcending Dementia

Pre-registration is required for this free event. Call 303-651-8411.

A new medical TV series highlights stories from patients who are dealing with misdiagnosed, undiagnosed, or uncured medical issues. The live program, hosted by Ann Curry, started on August 8th for a total of 10 weeks. You can watch it on TNT and TBS.

https://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/ann-curry-live-show-chasing-the-cure-begins-august-8-on-tnt-tbs

The annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s event in Boulder County will be held on August 10 on the University of Colorado campus in Boulder. Onsite registration starts at 8:00am. The Colorado chapter ceremony begins at 9:00am with the 1-2 mile campus walk starting after the ceremony. Visit www.alz.org/walk for more information about registering and creating a team. Contact the event coordinator, Catie Davis for more information at 303-813-1669 ext. 9613.

More people are using helpful, easy to use templates to initiate difficult conversations with family and medical providers about end-of-life treatment and values. The Conversation Project has starter kits available in 14 languages. You can visit their web site to download templates. https://theconversationproject.org.

Stanford Medicine created What Matters Most letters in 2015 to help start conversations on what matters most to you regarding how you enjoy spending your time, future life milestones that you don’t want to miss, and preference for future medical treatments. These letter templates are available in 8 languages and can be accessed from their web site.        https://med.stanford.edu/letter/what-matters-letter.html

On April 25th Next Avenue and the John A. Hartford Foundation sponsored a live event on Facebook to allow participants to discuss successful strategies on how to talk to your doctor to get the most out of your healthcare. Watch the session here via Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/NextAvenue/videos/vb.158569510872431/406709623218460/?type=2&theater

Save the date! The annual education symposium hosted by the Colorado Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association is a one day Rocky Mountain Conference on Dementia. It will be held on April 29th at the Hyatt Regency Denver Tech Center from 7:30am until 4:30pm. Participants can select breakout sessions to attend throughout the day with experts sharing on topics such as: Understanding Alzheimer’s and Dementia, Resilience Strategies for Activities of Daily Living, Self-Care and the Power of Your Pen, Nutritional Support for Caregivers, Discussing Future Planning in Dementia – Promises & Pitfalls, Humor and Caregiving. There will also be sessions devoted specifically to individuals currently living with an early-stage diagnosis. Attendees are welcome to register if you have been diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment or early-stage Alzheimer’s or dementia, or if you are a family member/friend of someone affected, or if you are a healthcare professional. Event cost ranges between $50-175.00. To register, call the Alzheimer’s Association at 800-272-3900.

The Savvy Caregiver class will be starting on Wednesdays from 6:00-8:00pm March 13 through April 17. It will be held at the Longmont Senior Center located at 910 Longs Peak Ave. This FREE 6 week class is ideal for family or friend caregivers helping a loved one living with dementia. The class is facilitated by Jessica O’Leary, a Gerontologist and dementia specialist.  Call 303-651-8411 to register.