Rayma Scalzo
Have you ever wondered what is going on with an individual who has Alzheimer’s/Dementia disease? If you are a caregiver, you will have the opportunity to learn what it is like to walk in their shoes.
Debi Elder, Community Liaison for Haven Senior Horizons, will be speaking to the Alzheimer’s/Dementia Caregiver Discussion Group on Saturday, February 20 at 9:30 a.m. She has worked in the senior industry in assisted living and memory care communities. Debbie started working with Haven Senior Horizons three years ago and works to educate the west valley about mental health issues surrounding the senior population. She will explain about a tool, called a Virtual Dementia Tour, that allows you to walk in the shoes of someone with dementia. This experience helps build understanding and empathy in caring for loved ones. Haven Senior Horizons takes the Virtual Dementia Tour all over the state of Arizona to independent, assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing communities. Most often this centers around the staff but it offers tours to family members when requested.
Our meeting time is divided into two parts. The first hour is for the speaker presentation. The second hour is spent with members asking questions or sharing experiences. Our group provides information, resources and comfort for those residents who are caregivers for loved ones who have Alzheimer’s or any type of dementia. They could live in the home, at a local care facility or out of state. Everything said during the meeting is confidential.
We have another group, The Saturday Group, that provides respite care for those having Alzheimer/Dementia disease. It meets at the same time at a nearby location. This group allows the caregiver the opportunity and peace of mind to attend the discussion group. If your loved one is unable to participate in such a group, we may be able to arrange for someone to come to your house during the two hour meeting. Please RSVP by Thursday, February 18 for this special group.
Monthly breakfast: The caregivers meet for breakfast on the first Saturday of each month. This gives them an opportunity to get to know each other on a more personal level. Knowing others who are going through the same journey is very beneficial.
For more information and location of these activities, please contact Rayma at 623-935-1819 or send an email to [email protected].