WILSON, N.C. — February 17, 2022 — The 19th annual Caregiver Education Conference, on Tuesday, March 8, will be held online this year for participants. The conference will begin at 9 a.m. and conclude at 12:30 p.m.
The Gerontology Program at Barton College, Dementia Alliance of North Carolina, the Upper Coastal Plain Area Agency on Aging, and North Carolina Family Caregiver Support Program have partnered to present the conference.
Those interested in participating should register at DementiaNC.org/Wilson2022. This online conference will be free to all caregivers, family members, students, and interested individuals. The cost is $15 for professional caregivers.
CEU’s for professionals also will be offered through Dementia Alliance. Professionals interested in attending the conference should contact Ashleigh Glover, Area Agency on Aging, at 252-234-5984, or Lisa Levine, Dementia Alliance, at 919-832-3732.
Conference Presenters —
The conference will feature three presentations, each 45 minutes in length, with time allotted for Q&A. The first speaker will be Melanie Bunn, Dementia Training Specialist from Dementia Alliance. The title of her presentation is “How do you know you need help.” Bunn has been a presenter at 17 of our conferences.
The second presenter will be Nichole Atkinson, Adult Intervention Team Leader with the Wilson County Department of Social Services. Atkinson is an alumna of the Gerontology program at Barton College, and her presentation topic is “Aging in my World.”
The third speaker of the conference will be Tyronda Whitaker, Regional Long-term Care Ombudsman with the Upper Coastal Plain Area Agency on Aging. Whitaker’s presentation is titled “Payment and Placement: The Long-term Care Process.”
The Barton conference, and the series of caregiver conferences conducted across North Carolina, owe their origin to the late Joseph D. Russell, M.D. The Caregiver Education Conference at Barton is generously supported through an endowment that Dr. Russell established in memory of his mother, Lillian Hester McDaniel Russell, who served as a caregiver for her husband, Norman, following his stroke and, later, declining health. This year’s conference is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Joe Russell and his wife Sarah Anne Poole Russell, and in honor of all family caregivers. Special recognition is extended to the Russell family for supporting this conference since 2003.
The goal of the conference is to explore various techniques and strategies caregivers can use to care for themselves and for individuals with dementia, to identify resources to assist in developing routines and programs to meet their needs, and to explore recent and effective assessment, treatment, and care options.
A variety of programs and services also will attend the conference, offering virtual booths. These vendors represent a vital part of this conference, as they provide assistance options and resources for family caregivers. Vendors wishing to participate should contact Ashleigh Glover at the Area Agency on Aging, 252-234-5984.
For more information, please contact Dr. Steven Fulks, Barton College Gerontology Program, at sfulks@barton.edu or 252-399-6570.
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