Alabama Lifespan Respite January Webinar. Register and see their complete list of offerings at https://alabamarespite.org/:
·The Power of Laughter, January 23, 10 am, CT
The Food Brain Connection in Alzheimer’s, webinar sponsored by M4A, Wednesday, January 27, 1 pm CT. https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_IynoxRxLSWW5ZwJVMgH90g
Check out AFA’s Teal Room (www.alzfdn.org/afatealroom) for a free portal to an extensive offering of daily virtual therapeutic and activity programs, including music, art, dance/movement, chair yoga and virtual field trips.
The Dementia Action Alliance will be offering live engagement programs starting February 1st. A full schedule of programs and simple sign-up process will be posted onDAA’s website starting Monday, January 25th. Participants living with dementia really can enjoy offerings, such as Poetry Club, Guided Meditation, Whimsical Art, and Sports Club, as well as the opportunity to connect with others.
Placemats needed for “fidget blankets”. Volunteers from Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church have made hundreds of fidget blankets out of discarded placemats. All kinds of trinkets, fabric, zippers, etc. are sewn on the placemats giving them interesting textures. The blankets are used by family caregivers to help with agitation and boredom and have been distributed to many on ACA’s service programs. If you have any placemats that could be recycled for this purpose, please contact Miller Piggott, mpiggott@alzca.org.
Zoom Support Groups available online:
- ACA’s Coffee Talk with Miller & Vance, Tuesday, January 27, 11 – noon CT. Call (205) 871-7970 or mpiggott@alzca.org. Join us on zoom : https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86450491838
- CJFS CARES, Mondays at 1:30 pm, contact Pam Leonard, pam@cjfsbham.org.
- Founders Place at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Tuesday’s at 10 am, contact Susan Logan, susanlogan65@gmail.com
- Pell City, 1st Tuesday of each month, 2:00 pm, contact Bit Thomaston, Ethomaston50@gmail.com
- West Alabama Area Agency on Aging, Caregiver Support Group, Tuesdays, contact Nikki Poe, nikki.poe@westal.org.
- Leeds, 2nd Thursday of each month, 6:30 pm, contact Bit Thomaston, ethomaston50@gmail.com
- United Way Area Agency on Aging of Jefferson County, 3rd Tuesday of each month 11:30-12:30, contact Valarie Lawson, vlawson@uwaaa.org
- Asbury United Methodist Church every other Wednesday at 11:30, contact Maggie Dunaway at mdunaway@asburyonline.org.
- CJFS CARES, Thursdays, 7:30 pm, contact Pam Leonard, pam@cjfsbham.org.
Alzheimer’s News:
Many caregivers have benefitted from Renee Harmon’s “teaching memoire” about her experiences caring for her husband. Renee’s weekly blog post looks into the eleventh chapter of Surfing the Waves of Alzheimer’s. In the chapter, “Enter Their World, .” Renee concludes that this is the cornerstone caregiving principle on which all other principles hang. If you can’t enter their particular Alzheimer’s world, you will be lost, forever trying to bring them into your world. And they just can’t do it. https://www.reneeharmon.com/2021/01/20/enter-their-world/
On Being interviews psychologist Dale Atkins, the co-author of “The Kindness Advantage,” about dementia caregiving and finding time for oneself, building a network of support, and navigating the complex emotions of caregiving. Learn more from a caregiving expert. >>
The Pickering Lab in the UAB School of Nursing is recruiting family caregivers for a National Institutes of Health Study. The purpose of the study is to learn more about the day-to-day experiences of dementia caregivers, including how often certain behaviors may happen, situations which you may find stressful and how often good things happen. It is non-invasive and participants simply document their experiences. Responses are confidential. Participants are paid. https://t.co/Fmh3dz912l?amp=1
Check out 2 research opportunities for professional caregivers:
· Nicole Ruggiano, PhD, MSW, Associate Professor & DSW Program Director, UA School of Social Work has a project to learn how to develop technologies to improve access to services for people with dementia and their families. She wants to interview providers for about an hour and you will receive a $35 e-gift card for your time. See attached info.
· Research Study for nursing home workers to understand how to offer better support. Phone/zoom interviews with nursing home staff members who care for people with dementia. To quality, participants need to be at least 18 years of age and work in a nursing home (any position) in the Birmingham area. Participants will receive a $25 giftcard for their time and the interviews take 30-60 minutes. UAB Department of Sociology, clcain@uab.edu or 205-934-0565. See attached info.
AFA’s Teens for Alzheimer’s Awareness College Scholarship Essay Contest is an annual competition for college-bound high school seniors. Applicants are asked to write a 1,200 to 1,500-word essay that describes the impact of Alzheimer’s disease on themselves, their families or their communities, and what they have learned in light of coping with the brain disorder. The grand prize winner receives $5,000, with additional prizes awarded for runners up. 2021 Essay Submission Deadline: Monday, February 15, 2021. Alzheimer’s Foundation of America | <AFA’s Teen Scholarship Essay Contest> (alzfdn.org)