Dementia Friendly organization to host two seminars

Melody Karick, memory care educator and consultant with Garden Spot Village, is well-acquainted with internationally known dementia expert Teepa Snow. "I was blessed to be mentored by Teepa," said Karick. "She does a great job of explaining (concepts and techniques). No matter what level of awareness you are at, she is easy to understand."

Snow will return to Lancaster for a second set of seminars after first offering a well-attended program in 2022. Sessions will be held on Thursday, Aug. 17, at Lancaster Alliance Church, 210 Pitney Road, Lancaster. The morning session will run from 8 to 11:30 a.m., and the afternoon session will run from 12:30 to 4 p.m.

The morning session is designed for first responders, business organizations churches, and families. Snow will focus on discerning signs of dementia and providing safe and comfortable spaces. The afternoon session will be directed at health care and senior care workers, and it will delve into advanced assessment methods and tools for working with those in late stages of dementia.

Snow is an occupational therapist with more than 40 years of clinical and academic experience. She has developed a trademarked model for understanding the progress of dementia and created the Positive Approach to Care training strategies. Karick emphasized that Snow's presentations are effective because she gauges the audience and moves in the direction she feels will best serve them.

"One of the things she really stresses is the positive approach and getting to know the environment and the surroundings," said Karick, noting that taking a breath and assessing the unique approach required by the situation is paramount. "Look at what is going on with that person," Karick explained. "Are they in fight, fright, flight?" Next, Karick said, caregivers should use their words, tone of voice, and facial expressions to make it clear that they stand in support. "Make it known you are on their side," she said.

"I always leave with an 'aha' moment," said Karick of Snow's seminars. "It's not always rocket science, but rather, 'I never thought of it that way,'" added Karick, pointing out that the training can be used in situations beyond caring for someone with dementia. "It's very (applicable) to everyday life," she said.

For those who are new to understanding dementia, Karick said that it is an umbrella term. "Think about flowers. There are petunias, roses. They are all flowers," she said. "Dementia is not a diagnosis, and it is not memory loss," she noted, adding that remembering whether or not you drove to a location might signal a dementia issue, whereas remembering where you parked your car generally does not.

There is a per session charge with an extra cost for an optional lunch. Readers are encouraged to register at http://www.dementiafriendlylancaster.org. Last year's seminars sold out.