Professional caregivers and family members who care for loved ones with dementia can attend a workshop later this month at Vance-Granville Community College to learn about ways they can manage their roles.
Michael Patterson is a family caregiver specialist with the Kerr-Tar COG, the agency sponsoring the event on Tuesday, Feb. 21. The daylong workshop is $15 for individuals who are caring in some capacity for a family member with dementia and $40 for professional caregivers.
Patterson spoke with John C. Rose on Wednesday’s TownTalk and he discussed details of the regional workshop, as well as a couple of other programs that may be of interest to caregivers.
Sharing information about available community resources takes up a good bit of Patterson’s time, but that’s his job, he said.
“I like to be an asset to our caregivers in the region. Sometimes, they just need someone they can call and ask questions to,” he said.
The respite voucher is one program that caregivers can access, he said.
This program provides up to $750 that caregivers can use to pay for in-home aid assistance, so they can have a break to run errands or complete other tasks and be assured that the loved one will be cared for in his or her absence.
This program isn’t tied to family income or the person’s financial situation, Patterson said. Rather, it has more to do with the age, diagnosis and the ability of the patient to complete certain daily living tasks, which Patterson calls activities of daily living, or ADL.
Another program involves a community partnership with Harold Sherman Adult Day Care. There are scholarships available to allow patients to spend the day at the center.
“It’s been a great partnership,” Patterson said, adding that he has worked closely with its director to get the partnership established. “It’s a fairly new program and we’re excited about expanding our reach and opportunity.”
The day program enhances patients’ mental capacity and keeps them active and engaged throughout the day, Patterson said.
Dementia expert Teepa Snow will be the featured speaker at the Feb. 21 workshop, and Patterson said she will help participants fine tune communication skills with those individuals suffering from dementia.
It can often be very stressful dealing with family members and loved ones who may ask repetitive questions or exhibit personality changes as a result of their health condition. Knowing how to effectively engage with them may be helpful, he said.
Patterson said the workshop also will help caregivers learn “how to physically approach (dementia sufferers) and how to care and have compassion for those with dementia.”
Workshop participants also will learn differences between early onset dementia, as compared to mid-stage and late-stage dementia.
Learn more at www.Kerrtarcog.org and click on Adult and Aging Services in the options listed.
Email Patterson at mpatterson@kerrtarcog.
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