Dementia and Caregiving

SGEC contributes to WHO/ADI report "Dementia: a public health report priority"

In April 2011, the World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with Alzheimer’s Disease International, initiated a new project to develop a report on enhancing country preparedness for the increasing burden and cost of supporting a growing aging population with dementia. Four working groups were established, and SGEC Director, Dr. Dolores Gallagher-Thompson was invited to join the working group on caregivers. Other working groups included Epidemiology, types, classification and cost; Policy, legislation, health care system and social support structure; and Awareness raising and education, public and professional attitudes and ethical aspects. SGEC staff Marian Tzuang and Nate Gardner had assisted with literature reviews and writing parts of Chapter 5 on Dementia Caregiving and Caregivers. The comprehensive report "Dementia: a public health priority" was launched on April 11, 2012, to coincide with World Health Day, which this year has aging as its theme.

Other related materials can be downloaded from the following link: http://www.who.int/mental_health/neurology/dementia/en/index.html

Dementia Mirela Program: help to cope and alleviate stress
Programa sobre la Demencia para Cuidadores Hispanos/Latinos

The program is currently recruiting caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease or other dementia to participate in a free program about dementia and caregiving.

Mirela is being developed by Photozig (at the NASA Research Park) and Stanford University, in collaboration with the Alzheimer's Association and other organizations. This is a research study funded by the National Institute on Aging(part of the National Institutes of Health).

The goal of Mirela is to evaluate and develop materials for helping caregivers to cope with caregiving, alleviate related distress, and improve their quality of life.

More about the Mirela Program and to sign up for the pilot.

New FOTONOVELA! Together We Can! Facing memory loss as a family

Latinos are the fastest growing minority group in the United States at present; this leads to increased numbers of age-related disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, which in turn is associated with increased stress and depression in the family members who provide most of the in-home care. A new 16-page Fotonovela was developed to “tell the story” of how a Latino family can learn coping skills to more effectively manage their own stress, as well as the everyday memory and behavior problems of their loved one. [PDF]

A Community Teaching Guide that explains how to use the FN (what points are being made in each frame, questions to ask to stimulate discussion, etc.) is also available. [PDF]

A randomized study comparing this Fotonovela to available educational materials about dementia revealed that, while caregivers in both conditions reported substantial improvement over six months in level of depressive symptoms and ability to cope with stressful situations related to caregiving, those who read the Fotonovela were substantially more improved over time, and rated the material as more, specifically, it was more helpful for older caregivers with lower education levels - a "target minority group" that is frequently under-represented in clinical settings. The development of this fotonovela was funded by the Alzheimer’s Association National Office (Grant # IIRG-08-92099).

Webinar Series on Ethnicity and the Dementias

In 2010 SGEC presented a series of nine monthly webinars on Ethnicity and the Dementias in collaboration with the California Area Health Education Centers. They included individual webinars on Assessment of Dementia and Caregiving for Elders in eight ethnic populations, including: Latino, African American, Chinese American, Japanese American. Korean American, Hmong American, Filipino American, and Vietnamese American. To view the recorded version of these webinars or obtain the handouts, go to http://sgec.stanford.edu/video/2009-2010_Webinars.html.

DVD & Workbook for Chinese / Chinese American Caregivers of Older Adults with Dementia
This set provides skill training in how to manage common situations that create stress in family caregivers. A narrator describes the enactments and encourages the caregiver to learn more information about the techniques being taught by completing the exercises in their workbook. This set is available at cost ($25) and can be ordered from SGEC.

Communication Tool for Emergency Preparedness (PDF)
The tool can be used by service providers when talking with ethnic elders about emergency preparedness. This was developed by the Hearing and Speech Center of Northern California (HSCNC), formerly the Hearing Society of the Bay Area, in collaboration with the American Red Cross, an outcome of the SGEC partnership with HSCNC.

Updates on Dementia Conferences

Each spring SGEC collaborates with the Alzheimer’s Association, Palo Alto Veterans Administration Health Care System, and other organizations to sponsor an annual conference updating recent developments in research, treatment, and caregiving support for diverse elders with dementia and their families. Featured speakers report on the latest information about assessment and treatment of the various kinds of dementia, with emphasis on practice implications.  Each year SGEC sponsors a presenter whose focus is on ethnicity and/or other forms of diversity as they relate to assessment, treatment, and working with families of these older adults. 

See information on current year’s Updates on Dementia conference on the SGEC Home page. On line Registration will be available in April; for interim information contact the Alzheimer's Association of Northern California & Northern Nevada at: www.alz.org/norcal.

2013 Updates on Dementia Conference

May 22, 2013 Foster City
Translating Research into Practice

View talks and panels

Talks and panels (Youtube Playlist) include updated information on Alzheimer's disease and related dementia. Emphasis is on how to use this information in clinical practice. (brochure - PDF)

Changes in the Diagnosis of Dementia (Slides - PDF)

• Allyson Rosen, PhD, ABPP-Cn
  Director of Dementia Education Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC) VA Palo Alto Health Care System Clinical Associate Professor (Affiliated) Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Stanford University School of Medicine
• Maya Yutsis, PhD
  Clinical Neuropsychologist Polytrauma Transitional Rehabilitation Program VA Palo Alto Health Care System
• Brian Yochim, PhD, ABPP
  Clinical Neuropsychologist Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC) VA Palo Alto Health Care System Clinical Assistant Professor (Affiliated) Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Stanford University School of Medicine
• Geoffrey A. Kerchner, MD, PhD (Slides - PDF)
  Assistant Professor of Neurology and Neurological Sciences Stanford Center for Memory Disorders Stanford University School of Medicine
• Ruth O’Hara, PhD (Slides - PDF)
  Associate Professor Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Stanford University School of Medicine Associate Director Sierra-Pacific Mental Illness Research Education Clinical Center (MIRECC)
  

Legal Aspects of Antipsychotic Medication Use (Slides - PDF)
Anthony Chicotel, Esq, Staff Attorney, California
Advocates for Nursing Home Reform

Antipsychotic Medication: The Good the Bad and the Ugly (Case Study - PDF)
Panel members:

• Elizabeth Landsverk, MD (Slides - PDF)
• Betty Wexler, RN, MS, CNS, ACHPN, VAPAHCS (Slides - PDF)
• Tippy Irwin (Slides - PDF)

Neurocognitive Disorders: Enhancing the Quality of Life (Slides - PDF)
Susan McCurry, PhD

Using Stress Management & Behavioral Activation (Slides - PDF)
Dolores Gallagher Thompson, PhD, ABPP

2012 Updates on Dementia Conference (view talks and panels)

Ethnogeriatric Dementia and Caregiving Publications by SGEC Scholars and Affiliates

Additional Ethnogeriatric Resources

Important ethnogeriatric resources related to aging and/or ethnicity identified by SGEC staff and affiliates which are produced by other groups.