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Splaine Consulting June 2019 Newsletter
Splaine Consulting Highlights
Our team’s advocacy work, here & abroad
Registration Is Open for September’s ‘Living Alone with AD Solutions Summit’ in Atlanta
Registration is now open for the upcoming “Living Alone with Alzheimer’s: A Solutions Summit” in Atlanta.
Mike Splaine and Kate Gordon of Splaine Consulting will conduct the full-day program, taking place from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 5, at the King’sBridge Retirement Community.
Sponsored in part by LeadingAge Georgia and King’sBridge Retirement Community, the program will include conversations with persons who are navigating life with AD or a related dementia; an overview of the numbers and types of single-person households they live in; a review of health and social risk factors; and ethical dilemmas to consider.
The summit will conclude with a networking forum to identify potential partners in Atlanta who can work together on this issue, especially as it impacts hospital stays and readmissions.
Those who should attend include persons living with Alzheimer’s/dementia and their caregivers; administrators and staff from care communities; health care providers; dementia-friendly community leaders; elder care managers and attorneys; hospital emergency department staff; and organizations directing care systems for persons dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid.
Register at the link before Aug. 5 to take advantage of the early bird rate of $69. The price of the summit rises by $10 after that date.
Free Workshop on ‘Thoughtful Hospitalization’
Cognitive Solutions LLC will present “Thoughtful Hospitalization,” a free 90-minute workshop for caregivers who are caring for individuals with dementia.
Sponsored by The Seasons Assisted Living, the workshop will be Tuesday, June 25, at The Seasons in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. Registration (with coffee) will be from 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m., with the program commencing at 9 a.m.
The workshop will provide information for caregivers to prepare for possible hospitalizations (either planned or unplanned) for their loved ones with memory disorders. Topics will include hospital risks for people with memory loss; being prepared for emergency hospitalization; and recovery and returning home. The workshop also will help participants understand their rights as caregivers.
Space is limited to 35 participants. Call Lisa Toth at (401) 884-9099 to register.
Mike Splaine to Speak at SE4A Conference
Mike Splaine will speak about “A 21st Century Approach to Serving Persons with Alzheimer’s Disease” at the SE4A Annual Conference, Sept. 8-11 at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville.
The conference, “Two-Stepping Into the Future,” is sponsored by the Southeastern Association of Area Agencies on Aging (SE4A), the first regional advocacy association on aging in the country. Member states include: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Mike’s session is part of the “full-day pre-conference intensives” lineup, held from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 8. He will outline key demographic and market trends and data sources that planners and agency leaders can use to develop a 21stcentury approach to serving individuals with ADRD and their families.
The workshop also will review state-of-the-art actions for CBOs to identify persons with cognitive impairment in community settings; ways to serve the growing brainhealth movement; and use of evidence-based programs and community-level initiatives in defining their own and partner organizations’ dementia capabilities.
To register for the event, visit the SE4A website.
Online Dementia Policy Course
Mike Splaine and Kate Gordon will be teaching their online Alzheimer’s Disease Public Policy Course, Thursdays, Oct. 3 through Nov. 7. The course is offered through University of Massachusetts Boston’s College of Advancing and
Professional Studies.
Weekly sessions include a historical view of domestic and global dementia policy, dementia policy strategy development and hands-on activities that translate classroom learning into real-world action.
Cost of the course is $250. Students will receive a professional training certificate that awards one Continuing Education Unit.
To learn more and to register, visit the course page on the UMB website.
Mike to Keynote Dementia-Friendly Cruise
Mike Splaine will be the keynoter for a seven-day dementia-friendly cruise, Aug. 25 through Sept. 1, which will offer a respite for caregivers as well as RN and professional medical support for those with Alzheimer’s/dementia, MS, Parkinson’s, arthritis, CVA, mobility issues, COPD, weakness and pain.
The cruise, aboard the Celebrity Summit, will be a round-trip excursion from Bayonne, N.J., to Bermuda, with “Caring for the Caregiver” interactive conference programming as well as adult daycare programming. Featured will be social events, presentations, networking, daily senior Zumba, sea-day activities and optional group excursions.
Find more information at the Elite Cruises and Vacations website.
For Your Next Speaking Engagement…
Interested in having Mike or Kate as a speaker or presenter for your organizationās next advocacy training, conference, webinar or other educational opportunity? For more details, contact us today.
Alzheimer’s Around the World
The latest policy, advocacy & research events and news
June is Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month
June is Alzheimerās & Brain Awareness Month! During this month, the Alzheimerās AssociationĀ® asks people around the world to wear purpleāor even consider turning their Facebook page purpleāto start a conversation about brain health and to join in the fight against Alzheimerās disease. Fundraising to #ENDALZ culminates on The Longest Day, June 21āthe summer solstice.
The Alzheimer’s Association invites you to share your story of why you “go purple.” Visit the organization’s website for details.
Congratulations to NMT on 20th Anniversary
Splaine Consulting would like to extend our congratulations to Nightingales Medical Trust (NMT), celebrating 20 years of service to the elderly. Mike Splaine has had the opportunity to speak at an NMT event in the organization’s home country of India.
Established in 1998 as a not-for-profit organization, NMT has conceived and established various need-based projects for the well-being of older persons. Today, it is recognized as one of India’s leading organizations in elder issues, endeavoring to create a society where elders are healthy, happy, empowered and socially integrated.
Virtual Reality Holds Promise for Dementia Patients
Researchers are discovering that artificial intelligence has all sorts of positive possibilities for those with Alzheimerās disease. Virtual reality, too, may help improve the quality of life for people with Alzheimerās and other dementias by stimulating them to recall past memories, reduce aggressive behavior and connect with caregivers.
These were the findings of a study conducted by researchers at the University of Kent, England, who studied whether virtual reality could promote the well-being of individuals with moderate to severe dementia living in a sychiatric hospital. The study was the subject of a recent article in Alzheimerās News Today (June 3, āVirtual Reality May Improve Hospitalized Dementia Patients, Study Says”) and can be found here.
Senior Living Moves in Contemporary Direction
According to an article in Building Design & Construction (June 3, ā11 Trends in Senior Livingā), a new senior living community housing complex in Denver is trying to change the perception of what āsenior livingā actually is.
The Carillon at Belleview Stationāa contemporary 173,000-square-foot complex of 139 independent and assisted living suites and 24 memory care suitesāwas designed by StudioSIX5, which has completed more than 400 senior living projects in 34 states and the District of Columbia.
In the article, B. Dean Maddalena, president of the Austin, Texas-based StudioSIX5, described major trends that he believes will guide decisions in senior living communities. These trends include eclectic styling; colorful paint, wallpaper and furnishings; outside ādestinations,ā such as theaters and dining; and amenities that draw in the community.
On this last point, the article notes that The Carillion has a salon that is popular with the community as well as a skylight lounge that members of the public can rent for functions.
Maddalena told the magazine that senior communities used to be about āseclusion and security.ā Now, seniors want to be part of a community.