If you missed the live webinars…

Downloadable support materials
Presentation handout
Resources

When facing the incapacity of a loved one, reliance on professionals will ensure that families receive the most accurate information about options and protection. An elder law attorney shares information about establishing powers of attorney, trusts and wills, paying for long-term care and accessing government assistance programs.

Downloadable support materials:
Presentation slides
Resources
Stages of Dementia for Care Partners

Since dementia dramatically changes the ways that individuals think, perceive, and communicate, caring for a loved one with dementia presents unique challenges. Hope Hospice’s dementia specialists, Gia Barsell and Debbie Emerson, will discuss the nature and progression of dementia and the various diseases and conditions that can produce its symptoms. Participants will gain a basic understanding of the ways in which dementia can impact the brain and behavior.

Downloadable support materials:
Presentation slides
Resources

Have you ever worried whether some of the memory challenges you or a loved one are experiencing are “normal?” Could they be a sign of something else? As we age, our brains and our bodies undergo changes. We may experience instances where we process information more slowly, or we may have trouble recalling names or dates; these can be examples of typical age-related changes. But what are the indicators that these changes may be due to something more serious such as mild cognitive impairment or dementia? When might it be time to visit the doctor for an evaluation? In this live webinar, Hope Hospice’s dementia specialists will discuss all of the above questions and more.

Downloadable support materials:
Presentation slides
Resources

No matter how thoroughly one has prepared for the inevitability of death, when the time comes it still can be a shock to the system. In this webinar, a local marriage and family therapist discusses the complexities of grief and loss, including anticipatory grief and ambiguous loss. Participants will be provided with coping strategies to help them both during the final stages of life and after their loved one has passed.

Downloadable support materials:
Presentation slides
Resources

The stress that family caregivers experience as their loved one declines can be staggering. The constant fluctuation of changing roles, uncertainty about the future, and fatigue may ultimately result in compromised health and family dysfunction. This webinar focuses on understanding the causes of stress, strategies for coping, and the importance of seeking support and utilizing resources.

Downloadable support materials:
Presentation slides
Resources

End-of-life care refers to both the medical care and the emotional support that patients and families receive when death is imminent. While the dying process can vary greatly from individual to individual, in this webinar Hope Hospice clinical staff will share general information about what to expect in the final days of life, transitioning to palliative (comfort) care, selecting hospice services, and making funeral arrangements.

At times, it seems as if what may have begun as a single medical diagnosis morphs into many, especially with the elderly patient. Hope Hospice clinical staff will provide information about the most prevalent co-existing medical conditions among the elderly and the importance of medication management. Guidance will also be provided in determining when it is appropriate for comfort care to be considered in place of curative care and aggressive treatments. Dr. Kuljeet Multani, one of Hope’s Associate Medical Directors, presents.

Downloadable support materials:
Presentation slides
Resources
Activities
GEM States Model 

Providing daily care for a loved one with dementia can present overwhelming demands on the family caregiver, often leading to frustration and exhaustion. With the goal of enhancing the overall well-being of all involved, Hope Hospice’s dementia specialists, Gia Barsell and Debbie Emerson, offer strategies for planning daily activities such as dressing, dining, personal hygiene and exercising, as well as social and leisure activities.

Downloadable support materials:
Presentation slides
Resources

Understanding your rights and learning to communicate effectively with healthcare professionals are key to advocating for your loved ones and yourself in a complex healthcare system. Webinar topics will include communicating effectively with healthcare professionals, handling hospitalizations, and understanding the discharge process and follow-up care.

Downloadable support materials:
Presentation slides
Resources
Senior housing chart

Handling sensitive topics and making difficult decisions, especially when emotions are high, is never easy. This webinar will cover information about assessing needs, working together with family members, accessing community services and resources, relocating loved ones, and exploring various care settings including in-home and residential care.

Hope Hospice hosts experts from Alameda County’s Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) to present information about common financial issues and risks related to home ownership. The basic structure of reverse mortgages and other equity-based loans will be discussed and alternative options will be explored.

As the conditions that cause dementia progress, communication becomes challenged and persons living with dementia increasingly rely on their behaviors to express their needs. In this webinar, family caregivers will gain an understanding of how to assess, interpret, and respond to dementia-related behaviors in a manner that can improve communication and promote meaningful connections. Hope Hospice’s dementia specialists, Gia Barsell and Debbie Emerson, present this webinar.

Dementia-care expert Teepa Snow (teepasnow.com) created a unique way of understanding and talking about stages of dementia. We commonly hear statements like “my mother has late-stage dementia,” but what does that mean? Most of the medical community uses this language about “stages” to describe the severity of a patient’s dementia symptoms, but perhaps there’s a better–more specific and more positive–way to discuss our loved ones living with dementia and the challenges they face as the disease progresses.

In this webinar, Gia Barsell, Manager of Dementia Services at Hope Hospice, will teach you about Teepa’s GEMS. Unlike other cognitive models, it acknowledges that everyone’s abilities can change in a moment. Modifying environments, situations, interactions, and expectations will create either supportive positive opportunities or result in distress and a sense of failure. Just as gemstones need different settings and care to show their best characteristics, so do people. Rather than focusing on a person’s loss when there is brain change, seeing individuals as precious, unique, and capable encourages a care partnership and is the core of this model. Providing supportive settings for everyone, including care providers, allows them to use what they have to be their best. The GEM States Model advocates that everyone living with brain change will shine when given the opportunity.

Speaker:
Gia Barsell, Hope Hospice Manager of Dementia Services
PAC Certified Dementia Trainer and Consultant

Downloadable Support Materials:
Presentation slides
Resources list
Emergency info for care partners

Adjusting to and coping with the COVID-19 pandemic is challenging for all of us, but for the person living with dementia and their care partners, it can be debilitating. In this interactive webinar, Hope Hospice’s dementia specialists will discuss the nature of dementia and how it impacts thinking and behavior, examine how this condition coupled with the necessary virus-prevention measures can further complicate the caregiving experience, and provide strategies that can help care partners cope with these challenges and focus on the well-being of their loved ones and themselves.

Panelists:
Gia Barsell, Hope Hospice Manager of Dementia Services
PAC Certified Dementia Trainer and Consultant

Debbie Emerson, Hope Hospice Community Health Educator
CARES® Dementia Specialist

As a result of the current global health crisis, those who are providing care to loved ones are now experiencing a dramatic shift in what it means to be a caregiver. This webinar acknowledges and explores the new challenges family members face in caring for aging and/or chronically ill loved ones in these uncertain times.

Downloadable support materials:

Debbie’s PowerPoint slides
Resources list
Emergency info for care partners
Self-care tips