Splaine Consulting

Splaine Consulting Febuary 2020 Newsletter

What we’re doing, what we’re reading, and where we’ve been: it’s all here. Follow our Facebook & LinkedIn pages for updates, and forward this newsletter to friends and colleagues interested in all things Alzheimer’s. Thanks for keeping us in your inbox!

Splaine Consulting February 2020 Newsletter

Splaine Consulting Highlights

Our team’s advocacy work, here & abroad

Housing Innovations Summit

Splaine Consulting introduces a new community-based stakeholder event focusing specifically on housing. Entitled “Planning for Living Alone With Dementia: The Road to Housing Innovation,” the program will launch Feb. 27 in Las Vegas.

Our innovative “Living Alone With Alzheimer’s Summits” provided a springboard for exploring this topic at the community level. Approximately 20% of individuals who have dementia are living on their own. With these numbers poised to rise dramatically in the future, the time to address the need for better housing solutions in the ADRD community is now.

Aimed at executive community leaders in housing and social services, the inaugural all-day event is sponsored by Nevada Senior Services in conjunction with UNR Cooperative Extension and other community partners. Co-chairing the event will be Mike Splaine and Chris Giunchigliani, former Clark County commissioner Las Vegas is one of several urban communities undergoing massive demographic shifts related to aging; in fact, the 70-plus demographic represents the fastest growing household type in Las Vegas/Clark County.

The event runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the UNR Co-Operative Extensive, 8050 Paradise Road. There is no charge, and lunch is included. Register at the link below.

Can’t make it to Las Vegas? Bring the event to your community! Contact us for details.

Register for Living Alone with AD: Housing Innovations


Spring 2020 Alzheimer’s Policy Certificate Course

Register now for the Spring 2020 session Alzheimer’s Disease Public Policy Certificate course taught by Mike Splaine and Kate Gordon. Course participants will learn about developing, financing and implementing dementia and brain health policies at the local, state, national and global levels.

The course includes a focus on stakeholder engagement and effective communication with policy makers.

Offered in conjunction with the Gerontology Institute, McCormack Graduate School of Policy & Global Studies at UMass Boston, the class meets online weekly for two hours on Thursdays, April 2 through May 7.

The fee is $250. The professional training certificate awards 1 CEU (Continuing Education Unit). Click the button below for more information and to register.

Register for Alzheimer’s Advocacy Certificate Course


What Do You Hope to Accomplish This Year? Mike & Kate Can Lend a Hand

Let 2020 be the year that you achieve more on behalf of your organization or your community. If you’re looking for expertise in the aging and dementia fields, Splaine Consulting can help—just as we’ve helped other prestigious clients ranging from Alzheimer’s Disease International and Bayer Pharma to National Consumer Voice and the State of Rhode Island.

Turn to Mike Splaine and Kate Gordon to help you draft your plan, provide policy analysis, offer grassroots advocacy advice, conduct training or serve as a speaker for your next conference, webinar or educational event. We have the expertise to handle virtually any size project for all types of clients—from local to global, public or private, corporate or nonprofit Contact us today.


Alzheimer’s Around the World

The latest policy, advocacy & research events and news

Control Hypertension This Heart Month

February is American Heart Month—a great time to remind older adults to be cognizant of their heart health, which also can improve their brain health. Did you know that nearly two-thirds of adults with subjective cognitive decline also have hypertension? That information comes from the Alzheimer’s Association, which has put out an action brief that identifies hypertension as a major risk factor for numerous health and chronic conditions, including cognitive impairment.

The action brief, entitled “Protecting the Heart and the Brain: Managing
Hypertension to Reduce Risk of Cognitive Decline,” calls for public health agencies to avert and control hypertension early and continuously across the lifespan as a means of preventing stroke, heart disease and cognitive impairment, including vascular dementia.

According to the brief, one-third of U.S. adults have hypertension while another third have prehypertension. In addition to recommending resources to support riskreduction strategies in the Healthy Brain Initiative Road Maps, the brief provides new data for 33 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico on adults ages 45 and older with subjective cognitive decline and hypertension from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).

Read more about the importance of managing hypertension in the Alzheimer’s Association action brief, by clicking on the link below.

Protecting the Heart and the Brain


DAA Releases 2019 Impact Report

The Dementia Action Alliance released its 2019 Impact Report outlining its
accomplishments of the last year, which were in keeping with DAA’s goals to support the empowerment and well-being of those living with dementia and to increase public awareness. Among its many activities, DAA has:

  • Developed and published “What Matters to Me,” a free online tool to collect individualized information about how best to support and provide accommodations for someone living with dementia;
  • Partnered with Community Idea Station, a PBS affiliate, on the documentary, Revolutionizing Dementia Care, released nationwide in May 2019, which details how using person- and relationship-centered practices best support the well-being of those with dementia;
  • Finalized the Assisted Living Practice Guide in partnership with the Eden Alternative; and
  • Hosted online discussions and podcasts developed and facilitated by individuals living with dementia.

The Dementia Action Alliance is a non-profit national advocacy and education organization of people living with dementia, care partners, friends and dementia specialists, Read the full Impact Report to learn more about all of DAA’s goals and its 2019 achievements.


Book Addresses Concerns About Traveling With Dementia

Many people look forward to their retirement years as a time when they can pack their suitcases and see the world, but a diagnosis of dementia is often seen as an obstacle to those plans. It doesn’t have to be that way.

A new book, entitled Travel Well With Dementia: Essential Tips to Enjoy the Journey, gives older couples hope. Author Jan Dougherty, MS, RN, FAAN, a
nurse leader, innovator and noted dementia care expert, provides essential information for those who enjoy traveling and want to continue to do so after a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia for themselves or a loved one.

This is the first book of its kind that considers what people living with dementia may experience during travel, whether early in the diagnosis or further along the path of progression. It also helps travel companions know what to expect before, during and after a trip. Whether you’re planning on visiting family and friends or venturing to a new location for fun, the book offers practical tips and strategies that will remove many of the stressors created by travel. To order, click the link.


Shared World Learning Tours Connect Aging Experts

Imagine traveling to Israel, Ireland,
Australia or experiencing fascinating tours in America—not only seeing great cultural sites but also learning how communities around the globe handle such vital social issues as healthy aging and health care.

And imagine being on those tours with other people who share the same interests in aging and human services as you do.

The Shared World Learning Tours make these scenarios a reality. The team at Shared World is made up of experts in the field of aging and human services with experience in foundations, nonprofits, policy and advocacy, which means your trip will be valuable and one to remember.

The president of Shared World is Michael Marcus, who has spent decades in
foundations funding groundbreaking and impactful work in the fields of aging and basic human needs.

Learn more by visiting the Shared World Learning Tours website.

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