Many caregivers cannot leave home due to caregiving responsibilities. You can participate in a web-based seminar — or webinar — from the privacy of your home. Join either live or view the archived version within a few day of the live webinar (in most cases). All webinars listed are free. All times listed are Pacific Time. Here are webinars that be of interest to caregivers in March 2018…
Tuesday, March 6, 4:00-5:00pm
“Minimizing Caregiver Fatigue”
Program: If you are like most caregivers, you struggle with a feeling of fatigue, sometimes leading to full exhaustion. In this webinar, Janet will explore ways you can minimize your physical and emotional fatigue. In doing so, she’ll also discuss ways to improve the quality of your sleep and the rest you need. While fatigue is a common denominator for many caregivers, it can help to understand it and begin to take some steps to reduce it
Presenter: Janet Edmunson, M. Ed.
Presented by: Janet Edmunson
You can usually view previous webinars for a month or two after the initial webcast. Be sure to attend at the scheduled time to hear Janet’s presentation.
Wednesday, March 7, 10:00-11:00am
“Holistic Aging: Mind, Body and Soul”
Program: As people age, they can be fearful of frailty and decline. However, keeping an older adult’s mind, body and social life active can prevent or even reverse frailty. And those who assist older adults are in a unique position to help them figure out what activities will work best. A key to holistic aging is selecting simple activities that older adults find pleasurable or enjoyable. To learn more about how to help older adults protect the mind, body and soul, sign up for this month’s web seminar.
Presenter: Lakelyn Hogan, gerontologist, caregiver advocate for Home Instead Senior Care
Presented by: Home Instead Senior Care and American Society on Aging
Tuesday, March 13, 2018, 11:00am-12:00pm
“The Memory Ensemble: Using Improvisation to Improve Quality of Life for Persons Living with Dementia”
Program: The Memory Ensemble™, a seven-year partnership between the Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’ Disease Center, Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine and the Lookingglass Theatre Company—is an eight-week improvisational theater intervention program for people with early stage dementia. This web seminar will provide participants with a history of the Memory Ensemble; a brief review of the literature on the impact of the arts and improvisation on dementia and aging; a review of Memory Ensemble research findings to date; an introduction to foundational principles of improvisation and how they apply to work with persons with dementia; examples of activities in which participants can engage in multiple settings to improve quality of life for and with people living with dementia; and suggestions for further reading
Presenters: Darby Morhardt, associate professor for the Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center and Department of Preventive Medicine at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine; Christine Mary Dunford, co-founder of the Memory Ensemble and director of the School of Theatre and Music, University of Illinois, Chicago
Presented by: National Alzheimer’s and Dementia Resource Center and sponsored by the Administration for Community Living
Tuesday, March 27, 10:00-11:00am
“Nursing Solutions: Improving Caregiver Strain through Science and Model Interventions”
Program: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic, progressive neurologic disorder, with a disease trajectory in many cases of decades. Research across the past 15to 20 years shows that the gradual loss of patient autonomy has a negative impact on the life of the caregiver, resulting in decreased mental and physical health and decline in quality of life. Using existing research, this web seminar will provide a framework for assessing caregiver strain and identifying potential interventions. One model intervention will be described, i.e., the use of PhotoVoice to assist caregivers in talking about difficult issues they face. Note that the focus of this program will be on professional nursing care, but family caregivers may find helpful information in this webinar
Presenters: Julie Carter, RM, MN, ANP, professor of Neurology at Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR; Joyce Bredesen , DNP, RN, PHN, Metropolitan State University, St. Paul, MN
Presented by: The Edmond J. Safra Visiting Nurse Faculty Program at the Parkinson’s Foundation
Wednesday, March 28, 9:00-10:00am
“Healing from Grace Fatigue”
Program: We’ll talk about ways to cope when are just about out of graciousness. Caregiving is tough and remaining gracious under this responsibility and strain is even tougher.
Presenter: Denise M. Brown, Founder and Owner of CareGiving.com
Presented by: CareGiving.com