Teri Sellers
The Alzheimer’s/Dementia Caregivers Support Group will meet on July 21. We are especially happy to have Dr. Kirsten Roling, DDC, Director of Special Projects with Smiles By Delivery as our presenter.
Good oral care is extremely important. As we age our oral health becomes critical to our overall health and wellness. One in ten older adults with untreated dental disease will succumb to aspiration pneumonia. This risk becomes greater for patients with dementia, COPD and many other conditions. This presentation will discuss oral health prevention, advocacy and strategies to improve the odds for our loved ones, especially those with Alzheimer’s or dementia.
Dr. Kirsten Roling brings healthcare expertise spanning public health, compliance; regulation, education, healthcare policy; having held positions including Chief for the Office of Oral Health – Maricopa County Department of Public Health. In this capacity, Dr. Roling was responsible for the oral health of 3.8 million residents and administered multiple oral health programs, two of the largest in the nation for the third largest public health department in the U.S. She is a previous President of the Maricopa County Oral Health Coalition, MOLAR; an invited speaker at state legislative committees, Past President and Founder of the California Coalition for the Aging and invited member of the Arizona Board of Dental Examiners Mobile Dentistry Subcommittee. She is committed to improving the health of our most vulnerable patients, primarily the elderly. She is now Special Projects Director and Teledentist for Smiles By Delivery, Housecall Dentistry for the Homebound.
Dr. Roling is a graduate of the University of California, San Francisco; ranked number one at the time of her attendance and received a certificate in Nonprofit Management from Brandman University.
Respite Care
We may be able to provide free respite care for those with Alzheimer’s/Dementia during the caregiver meeting. This will allow the caregiver the opportunity and peace of mind to attend the discussion group. Please call me with your RSVP no later than Tuesday, July 18.
Monthly Breakfast
A more casual opportunity to meet and share with other caregivers is the first Saturday of each month. Joyce VanOrnam and I will arrange a table at Eagle’s Nest so that we can have breakfast and ‘just talk’. Getting to know other caregivers can be very supportive and helpful as the journey of this disease can be challenging. RSVP is required by July 5 for the July 7 breakfast.
For information or to RSVP for respite care or the breakfast, please call Teri Sellers at 602-793-0299 or email [email protected].