Advance registration deadline is February 28th!
WILSON, N.C. — The eleventh annual Caregiver Education Conference is scheduled for Tuesday, March 4, in Hardy Alumni Hall on the Barton College campus.
The Gerontology Program of Barton College, Alzheimers North Carolina Inc., the Upper Coastal Plain Area Agency on Aging Family Caregiver Support Program, and Joseph D. Russell, M.D., have teamed up to sponsor this annual conference, which will offer two education sessions. A morning session, with lunch, will be specifically focused for family caregivers, clergy, volunteers and students. After lunch, an afternoon session will be presented for professional caregivers.
This conference is generously supported by Dr. Russell through an endowment he 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 endowment also honors caregivers across the state.
Registration for the morning session for family caregivers, clergy, volunteers, and students (with lunch included) is $10 per person. Registration for the afternoon session for professional caregivers (lunch is not included) will be $25 per person and will include 3.0 CEU’s. Please visit www.alznc.org conference and workshop page for more information regarding CEU’s and learning objectives. Respite reimbursement is available; prior approval is necessary. Please contact DeeDee Harris at 800-228-8738 for information about respite reimbursement.
The deadline for advance registration is Friday, Feb. 28. To guarantee a seat, pre-registration is highly recommended. Same-day registration will be on a space-available basis. To submit your registration or to request additional information, please contact Lisa Levine, Alzheimers North Carolina Inc., at 1305 Navaho Drive, Suite 101, Raleigh, NC 27609, 800-228-8738 or email: llevine@alznc.org.
The morning session will begin with check-in at 8 a.m., followed by Dr. Russell’s Opening Welcome at 8:30 a.m. The first of two morning keynote speakers, Martha-Lee B. Ellis, M.Ed., an author and family caregiver, will share her experience with “The Other Side of Alzheimer’s.” After the keynote session, there will be an opportunity for participants to meet with exhibitors for additional information and to ask questions. The second morning keynote speaker, Melanie Bunn, MS, RN, GNP, Dementia Training Specialist for Alzheimers North Carolina, Inc., will lead an interactive session titled “Empowered Caregiving: Understanding the Disease and Coordinating Your Care Team.”
The afternoon session will begin with check-in at 1 p.m., followed by Dr. Russell’s Opening Welcome at 1:30 p.m. Bunn will also serve as the afternoon keynote speaker for the professional caregivers, as she presents “Clearing Cloudy Conversations: Understanding Dementia to Better Communicate with Your Clients.” Following an opportunity for afternoon participants to ask questions and pick up information from exhibitors, the conversation will continue with Bunn as she discusses “Meaningful Activities Throughout the Progression of Dementia.”
“The conference provides a centralized location for family caregivers to interact directly with professionals and our Barton Gerontology students, as well as to hear about the variety of programs and services available providing support, resources, and advice,” explained Dr. Steven Fulks, director of the gerontology program at Barton College. “The convenience of attending the ½ day conferences maximizes the educational opportunities for the caregivers within their limited schedules.”
The focus of the conference will be to explore various techniques and strategies that caregivers can use to care for themselves and persons with dementia, to identify resources for developing daily routines and programs that meet the needs of people with dementia and their caregivers, and to describe the most recent and effective assessment, treatment, and care options available for people with dementia.
“The Caregiver Education Conference will be extremely helpful for family caregivers, and professional caregivers including nurses, direct care workers, CNAs, social workers, care managers, rehabilitation professionals, and community providers,” continued Dr. Fulks. “It will also be beneficial for volunteers including clergy, day program directors, and transportation workers, church members, students in health programs or gerontology, and EMS and law enforcement personnel.”
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