Sharing the Journey

April 2013 Sharing the Journey: Resources 101 workshops have concluded!!! It was a great fellowship indeed! This month’s workshops were held at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Gonzales, Louisiana on Monday evenings. Sharing the Journey is comprised of 4 educational workshops for caregivers and early-stage dementia patients where participants are given the opportunity to "Share the Journey" of Alzheimer's disease with a staff member.

Registered nurse and Alzheimer’s Services Education Committee member, Mary Anne Olivier, was one of four facilitators to “Share the Journey” with workshop participants. Having been a caregiver for many years for her mother who had Alzheimer’s, she was able to pull from her own experiences as a family and professional caregiver to share with the participants. Mary Anne discussed caregiver techniques for managing challenges with behavior or communication and stress management for caregivers. Mary Anne provides a comfortable atmosphere where questions and discussions about Alzheimer’ is encouraged.

Barbara Anthony is a registered nurse and President of Louisiana Enhancing Aging with Dignity through Empowerment and Respect, provided participants with information commonly prescribed Alzheimer’s medication, treatment and side effects. Participants in this workshop were able to gain greater understanding of how medication such as Aricept or Namenda works. The last workshop was facilitated by Attorney Jane Thomas of the Thomas Law Firm, LLC and Governor’s Office of Elderly Affairs. Ms. Thomas presented on preparing for incapacity, important legal issues facing seniors, and important legal documents in caregiving. Workshops offer participants a non-judgmental environment where they can ask questions and discuss the obstacles facing caregivers those with Alzheimer’s or related-dementia.

-Kristi Mellion, Program Coordinator