NEWS

Upcoming Events in Healthy Aging: Caring for the Caregiver Webinar Series, Dementia Friends Champion Training, Alzheimer’s Association Programming

Dec 18, 2024

The Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative is pleased to promote the following events by partners in our network that support inclusive age- and dementia friendly communities.

This virtual series connects family caregivers in Massachusetts with information and resources regarding their caregiver responsibilities, as well as tips to care for themselves. This upcoming webinar will focus on how to navigate the “post-holiday blues”. The holidays traditions can provide much-needed joy, wonder, and tradition, but it can be hard to come back to “reality” in January when the days are shorter and the decorations have come down. In this webinar, Betsy Englander, the Mental Health and Wellness Engagement Manager at Jewish Family and Children’s Service, will provide practical tools and techniques for caregivers to help cope with a tough time of year that can amplify feelings of isolation, ambiguous loss, and stress.

This webinar will last approximately an hour, with an interactive Q&A segment. It will be recorded for
those unable to attend live. Register here.

Dementia Friends is a global public awareness program that helps everyone in a community learn about dementia, how it affects people, and the simple things that we can all do to make a difference.

Be a Dementia Friend and learn the 5 key messages about how dementia affects people by attending a free, 1-hour information session near you or virtually at www.dementiafriendsma.org/find-a-session

Become a Dementia Friends Champion and learn about how to lead an information session for your community at a free, 3-hour volunteer training. Champion trainings are in English and upon account approval, you will receive access to all of our adapted and translated materials in 9 languages.

Join the next Champion Training on January 22nd, 9:30am-12:30pm. Register at https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEqfuCgqD8tHtK6L8TNl3Qczi_nKwd48XZA

Upon registration, you will receive an automated confirmation from Zoom containing your unique meeting link.

This virtual event will feature Julie Brody Magid, PsyD, who is the clinical director of McLean Hospital’s Memory Disorders Assessment Clinic in the Division of Geriatric Psychiatry along with a panel of individuals living with dementia. Panelists will discuss coping with the diagnosis and combating the stigma associated with the disease. They will also talk about the importance of disease education, social engagement, and having a voice in your own care.

More information and registration is available here.

The Alzheimer’s Association of Massachusetts and New Hampshire will be hosting two free virtual trainings to educate Fire and EMS personnel on the impact that Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias may have on individuals and communities.

This program has been developed specifically for Fire and EMS, so the Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative encourages community partners to promote this opportunity to those local departments.

Strategies acquired from this training will provide an understanding of Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias, and will help personnel optimize the effectiveness of responding during interventions with persons living with dementia, and their families.

Info and registration for the two trainings are listed below:

  • Jan 14, 2025 06:00 PM – Presenter: Jennifer Hoadley, CDP, Regional Manager, Southeastern MA
    Alzheimer’s Association – Register here.
  • Jan 16, 2025 07:00 AM – Presenter: Melissa Grenier, Regional Manager, New Hampshire
    Alzheimer’s Association – Register here.