This monthly open support group will provide an opportunity for care partners of a parent diagnosed with OR suspected of having cognitive impairment to come together to support each other through the caregiving experience.

Learning Objectives:

• Opportunity to share insights with each other related to their personal caregiving experiences
• Discuss and share different strategies regarding self-care and care for their family members (including stress, communication and responding to behaviours)
• Learn about how others are adjusting to their own changing relationship
• Receive updated information about dementia and the services available at the Alzheimer Society of Toronto

Every 3rd Thursday of the month from 5:30pm to 7:30pm online using Zoom
(Zoom information will be provided via email at least 24-48 hours prior to the date)

*Disclaimer: Registration for this group closes on the Monday prior to the session. Your registration for this session does not apply to future dates. Please check your junk/spam email box if you do not receive the registration confirmation email. If you’re having trouble registering, please let us know by emailing: intake@alz.to

PLEASE NOTE: THIS EVENT IS FOR INFORMAL CAREGIVERS/PARTNERS/FAMILY/FRIENDS. If you are a PAID Healthcare Provider, please see program offerings here: https://alz.to/health-care-professionals/

This workshop will provide care partners with an overview of Alzheimer’s disease focusing on the importance of early diagnosis and illustrates the progression of the disease.

This session is intended for care partners to a person living with dementia.

Topics:

• Gain a greater understanding of the process of diagnosis and medications available
• Develop a better, over-all understanding of dementia
• Increase your knowledge of the stages and progression of Alzheimer’s disease
• Better the caregiver’s insight into the person with dementia (PWD)
• Learn about community services and supports

Workshop will be presented using Zoom.
Registration is required to receive the Zoom link to participate.

This workshop will help care partners of a person with dementia in mid-to-late stages to develop and participate in meaningful activities. The goal is to provide practical ideas on how participants can spend quality time together by identifying and drawing upon the person’s remaining strengths.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the importance of meaningful activities for people with dementia or their family members
• Demonstrate importance of sensory stimulation for people with dementia or their family members
• Employ additional strategies and resources for creating meaningful activities for people with dementia or their family members

Workshop will be presented online via Zoom.
Registration is required to receive the Zoom link to participate.

This workshop provides an overview of behaviours in dementia and communicating in a supportive manner. It will focus on providing participants with the knowledge of how behaviours and communication can change over the course of the disease and ways to supportively communicate with a person living with dementia.

For care partners to a person living with dementia.

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize that behaviour is a form of communication
• Describe how dementia impacts communication
• Recall communication strategies that can be used to support people living with dementia
• Discuss the meaning of behaviours in dementia and ways to offer support

Workshop will be presented online via Zoom.
Registration is required to receive the Zoom link to participate.

This workshop will provide care partners with an overview of Alzheimer’s disease focusing on the importance of early diagnosis and illustrates the progression of the disease.

This session is intended for care partners to a person living with dementia.

Topics:

• Gain a greater understanding of the process of diagnosis and medications available
• Develop a better, over-all understanding of dementia
• Increase your knowledge of the stages and progression of Alzheimer’s disease
• Better the caregiver’s insight into the person with dementia (PWD)
• Learn about community services and supports

Workshop will be presented using Zoom.
Registration is required to receive the Zoom link to participate.

This 4-week online caregiver support group will provide an opportunity for care partners of individuals living with dementia to come together to support each other through the caregiving experience, with a structured focus on the concept of “Ambiguous Loss”. This group is inspired by Pauline Boss’ book “Loving Someone With Dementia“.

Learning Objectives

• Develop an understanding of the concept of “Ambiguous Loss” and ambiguous loss in the context of dementia, and how this unique type of loss differs from other losses
• Develop coping strategies to implement in their own lives
• Obtain a better understanding of their own experiences of grief related to caring for their family member
• Engage in self reflection and share insights related to their caregiving experience
• Learn from others on adjusting to the losses and their own changing relationship to self and others

This group will run for four consecutive weeks online using Zoom. Zoom information will be provided via email at least 24-48 hours prior to the start date.

Session dates:
Mondays from 10am–12pm, starting Nov 17th ending Dec 8th.

• Week 1 – Nov 17th
• Week 2 – Nov 24th
• Week 3 – Dec 1st
• Week 4 – Dec 8th

* Please note, participants are expected to commit to all 4 sessions listed above. Kindly register only if these dates work for you. If this schedule does not work for you at this time, you’re encouraged to check out our ongoing support groups that are available for registration month-to-month. See a list of upcoming support groups here!

Registration is required and closes on November 10th at 11:59 pm.
Please check your junk/spam if you do not receive a confirmation email upon registration. Zoom information will be provided via email approximately 24-48 hours prior to the first session. If you need registration support, please contact us at: intake@alz.to.

THIS EVENT IS FOR INFORMAL CAREGIVERS/PARTNERS/FAMILY/FRIENDS ONLY.
If you are a PAID Healthcare Provider, please see program offerings here: https://alz.to/courses-learning-programs/

Summary:

This webinar will introduce what deep brain stimulation (DBS) is, how it works, and how it has been used in different parts of the brain. It will cover the methods used and what research has shown so far.

The webinar will also explore a study at the University Health Network in Toronto that is looking for participants. The study is testing DBS as a possible treatment for mild Alzheimer’s disease and is examining whether sending gentle electrical signals to a specific part of the brain can help improve memory, thinking, and sleep.

This webinar is free to attend and is presented in plain language. You will have the opportunity have questions.

For more information on the study, visit: https://tdra.utoronto.ca/study/pilot-study-investigating-deep-brain-stimulation-new-approach-treating-mild-alzheimers

This webinar is presented in partnership with the Toronto Dementia Research Alliance

About the Presenter

Dr. Taufik Valiante is a Professor of Surgery at the University of Toronto and a neurosurgeon at Toronto Western Hospital, where he leads the Surgical Epilepsy Program. He is also Director of CRANIA (the Centre for Advancing Neurotechnological Innovation to Application), Co-Director of the Max Planck–University of Toronto Centre for Neural Science and Technology, and a Senior Scientist at both the Krembil Research Institute and The KITE Research Institute.

Dr. Valiante’s research focuses on understanding how the brain works and developing new devices to treat brain conditions such as epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease. His work combines medicine, engineering, and neuroscience to create innovative tools that can record and change brain activity. These advances could one day improve treatment for a wide range of brain disorders.