Coping with Dementia LLC has announced a tentative agenda for its Seventh Annual Family Care Partner Conference, which will take place virtually from February 9 through February 12, 2021. 

Agenda announced for Dementia Care Conference

More information about the conference, including how to register may be found at https://conference.coping.today.  Thanks to funding from the nonprofit Dementia Education Inc. and other sponsors, the conference requires no registration fee to participate.

Tuesday, February 9, 2021:

10:00 to 11:00 a.m. EST: Keynote Address: Teepa Snow, Efland, NC; Dementia theorist, practitioner, educator, and founder of the Positive Approach to Care.

11:00 to Noon EST: Debbie Selsavage, CDP; President of Coping with Dementia LLC, Inverness, FL.; An explanation of the Conference theme: “Loving them through it.” The philosophy, methodology, and therapies of person-centered, compassionate, non-pharmaceutical care.

2:00 to 3:00 p.m. EST:  Johnnie Jones, Teri Lonon, and Renee Horne; Florida Elder Options Caregiver Training and Support Team; Gainesville, FL.; The resources available to care partners from Elder Options.

3:00 to 4:00 p.m. EST: Pam Speta, Roseburg, OR.; Founder of Forget Me Not Village; Report on the development of a compassionate and home-like care environment based on an economical and replicable business model.

Wednesday, February 10, 2021:

10:00 to 11:00 a.m. EST: Jonathan Beard, Homosassa, FL; Grief Counselor, Friends of Citrus and the Nature Coast; Recognizing and dealing with grief throughout the journey of dementia.

11:00 a.m. to Noon EST: Sarah Elyaman, JD, Crystal River, FL; Owner and Lead Counsel at Absolute Law Group; Dealing with legal issues that will confront a care partner for loved ones living with dementia.

2:00 to 3:00 p.m. EST:  Diana Waugh, RN, BSN, CDP, Waterville, OH.; President of Waugh Consulting; “I’m still in here . . . Come find me!; My Todays are a blur but my Yesterdays are my strength.” 

3:00 to 4:00 p.m. EST: Joshua Freitas, Mt. Dora, FL; Award-winning author and Vice President of Program Development at CERTUS Premier Memory Care; Practical ways that we can improve the quality of life for loved ones living with dementia. 

Thursday, February 11, 2021:

10:00 to 11:00 a.m. EST: Georgette Bass and John Collins, Inverness and Orlando, FL; Award-winning Activities Directors; Keeping loved ones with dementia active is therapy, not just entertainment.

11:00 to Noon EST: Cameron Calaverne, Community Liaison, Synexus Clinical Research, The Villages, FL; The status of research and the importance of dementia screening and diagnosis.

2:00 to 3:00 p.m. EST: Paula Bateman, Jim Davis, and Barry Denham, CMT; Citrus County, FL; Members of Paula’s Pure Vintage play and talk about the marvels of music therapy.

3:00 to 4:00 p.m. EST: Bill Coyle, President of Mr. Bill Fitness, Crystal River, FL; Ways for care partners to maintain not just physical fitness, but also emotional and spiritual wellness.

Friday, February 12, 2021:

10:00 to 11:00 a.m. EST: Care Partners who became Authors: Linda Burhans, Seminole, FL., Vicky Veasey, Homosassa, FL., Susan Straley, Inverness, FL.; A panel of care partners who published books to help others discuss their experience.

11:00 to Noon EST: Curt Seefeldt, Director of Church Relations at the Lutheran Home Association, Belle Plaine, MN. and Ed Youngblood, CDP and Director of Communications for Coping with Dementia LLC, Inverness, FL. discuss the development and benefits of Dementia Friendly congregations.

2:00 to 3:00 p.m. EST: Linda Boles, President of Find-M-Friends, Crystal River, FL, and Chris Dearden, Deputy, Citrus County Sheriff’s Office, Citrus County, FL; Training and using bloodhounds, with the aid of human scent preservation kits, to save money and lives when seniors wander and go missing.

3:00 to 4:00 p.m. EST: Review and wrap-up by Debbie Selsavage, President of Coping with Dementia LLC, Citrus County, FL.

February 9 through 12: Spreading the Love:
Throughout the Conference, participants will be urged to buy or create valentines containing loving messages for individuals living with dementia.  They will be asked to deliver these to memory care facilities in their communities on Saturday, February 13 to be presented to residents on Valentine’s Day, Sunday, February 14^th. Comments or questions about this tentative agenda may be sent to deb@coping.today or to dementiaed@aol.com.