NORTHAMPTON – The DEMENTIA INITIATIVE, in cooperation with Cooley Dickinson Hospital, presents a free, accessible Dementia Care Fair on Saturday, April 30, 2011, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Dakin Conference Room, at Cooley Dickinson Hospital, 30 Locust Street, Northampton. Free parking at the Hospital is provided.
The public is invited to meet with representatives of numerous services and resources for dementia caregiving, including: Neuropsychological Testing; Elder Law Services; In-Home Care; Skilled Nursing; Adult Day Care; Long-Term Care Facilities; Long-Term Care Insurance; Therapy Dog Visits; Durable Medical Equipment and Full-Spectrum Lights to treat Sundowning.
FEATURES of the Care Fair include:
- Free Dementia Caregiving Resource Binders filled with valuable materials and information;
- Presentations on dementia caregiving topics throughout the day;
- Assistance in registering for "Safe Return" membership which protects wandering dementia patients and their caregivers;
- Free Reiki treatments;
- Demonstrations of Assistive Devices and Full Spectrum Lights.
To complement the vendors' displays and representatives, there will be on-going presentations on such topics as: How to evaluate a long-term care facility; How to keep the Caregiver healthy; What legal documents families of dementia patients need; and How and when to choose assistive devices, such as walkers and grab bars, for dementia patients.
As a highlight of the Fair, every attendee will receive a DEMENTIA CARE RESOURCE BINDER, organized by category, in which to place materials they collect at the Fair. This loose-leaf binder provides caregivers with a lasting way to build their own library of materials and notes, to which they can refer, during their years of dementia caregiving. Also in the binder, medical, diagnostic, nutritional and therapeutic providers will describe their specialties and services.