Alabama’s Dementia Care Conference:  STRATEGIES, APPROACHES AND PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS

 

September 15-16, 2015

 

The Legends Marriott Hotel and Conference Center

Prattville, Alabama

 

Sponsored by the Alabama Department of Senior Services

 

We are sorry to announce that this conference is now filled to capacity and we can no longer accept new registrations.

 

CONFERENCE PROGRAM

 

The first conference panel is scheduled for 10:15 on Tuesday, September 15 with the keynote luncheon to follow immediately.  Conference sessions will continue from that point until noon on Wednesday, September 16.   Continuing Education Units (CEU’s) authorization will be sought for assisted living administrators, nursing home administrators, social work/counselors, RN’s and LPN’s.  This statewide conference emphasizes the importance of bridging multiple perspectives to understand Alabama’s dementia challenge. The primary focus of the conference will be on improving the delivery of needed services to sufferers of this debilitating disease as well as to the caregivers who, in many instances, make extraordinary efforts to ameliorate this condition that impacts so many lives in Alabama.  There will not be a conference registration fee for the attendees.

 

The conference will consist of general sessions where expert academics and working practitioners will present information about established and experimental theories and practices that will inform both professional and family caregivers about relevant best practices.   The conference will begin late Tuesday morning with a panel of state government leaders who will provide an overview of Alabama’s dementia challenge and their preferred direction for addressing this issue prior to the keynote luncheon.

 

The keynote speaker for the conference will be Dr. Peter Rabins, M.D., of John Hopkins University.  As a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and director of the university’s Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, Dr. Rabins will focus his presentation on the effectiveness of current therapies for treating Alzheimer’s.  As one of the nation’s most highly regarded dementia experts, he is a person who speaks often and with great authority to a wide range of audiences.

 

CEU Info: The Alabama State Board of Social Work Examiners has approved the dementia conference for eight hours of CEUs.

 

 

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

 

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

 

9:00 – 4:00        Registration

 

10:15 – 11:45    Leadership Perspectives on Alabama’s Dementia Challenge

 

Neal Morrison, Commissioner, Alabama Department of Senior Services

Joseph Borg, Director, Alabama Securities Commission

Nancy Buckner, Commissioner, Alabama Department of Human Resources

Clyde Marsh, Commissioner, Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs

 

Noon – 1:30 Keynote Luncheon

 

Speaker: Peter Rabins, M.D., MPH, Director, Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, School of Medicine, John Hopkins University

 

1:45 – 3:15       Utilizing the Law to Better Protect Alabama’s Seniors

 

Invited:  Daryl Bailey, District Attorney, Montgomery County

John Craft, Professor of Law and Director of the Elder Law Clinic, Faulkner University

Jan Neal, Principal, Jan Neal Law Firm: The Elderlaw Firm, Opelika, Alabama

 

3:15 – 3:30

 

REFRESHMENT BREAK

 

3:30 - 5:00         Innovative Therapies: Reports on Experimental Dementia Treatment Programs

 

Keisha Carden, Project Associate, Cognitive Dynamics, Topic:”Binging Art to Life”

Carolyn Fortner, Executive Director, Middle Alabama Area Agency on Aging. Topic: “Fostering Community Awareness: The Jacobs House Experience.”

Miller Piggott, Executive Director, Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama. Topic: “Utilizing Music to Inspire Memory.”

Reanna Watson, Art Director, Shepherd’s Place Topic: “The Mechanics of an Effective Art Therapy Program.”

Kathie Tharpe, Special Projects Coordinator, Lee – Russell Council of Governments. Topic: “Art Changing Lives.”

 

Evening – DINNER ON YOUR OWN

 

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

 

7:30 – 8:30       Complimentary Breakfast Buffet

 

8:30 – 10:00     Living With Dementia: Professional and Personal Perspectives on Coping With a New Reality

 

Dr. Arlene Morris, Professor of Nursing, Auburn University at Montgomery

Dr. Lexie Turnipseed, Adjunct Professor of Counseling Psychology, South University

Carrie Richardson, Early Onset Alzheimer’s Sufferer, Montgomery, Alabama

 

10:00 – 10:15     REFRESHMENT BREAK

 

10:15 – 11:45     Organizational Perspectives on Dementia: Service Deficits and Public Policy Needs

 

Frank Holden, Executive Director, Alabama Assisted Living Association

Brandi Medina, Director of Programs and Education, Alzheimer’s Association of Alabama

Candace Williams, Interim State Director for AARP and Chairperson, Alabama Lifespan Respite Coalition

 

Hotel Information

 

The Legends Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in Prattville will serve as the conference hotel.  The conference rate for single or double rooms is $128.00 plus tax per night.  This beautiful hotel offers all the amenities and free parking.  The Legends is located at 2500 Legends Circle, Prattville, AL.  For reservations, call (334) 290-1235.  Reservations must be made on or before Friday, August 14, 2015.

 

For additional information about the conference, please contact Thomas Vocino, conference coordinator, at tvocino@alasu.edu or 334.229.6015.