The Alzheimer’s Association Houston and Southeast Texas Chapter is dedicated to raising awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias by equipping learners with the knowledge and skills necessary to live a brain-healthy lifestyle.

The Basics of Alzheimer’s Disease

This educational forum addresses fundamental issues of Alzheimer’s disease, including:

• Definition and affect on the brain
• Diagnosis
• Treatment Options
• Progression of the disease
• Community Resource Options
• Caregiving Strategies

Grey Matters: Living with Mild Cognitive Impairment Lecture Series

This interactive education series is designed for persons concerned about memory loss as well as those who have been identified as having memory problems greater than normally expected with aging, but do not show other symptoms of dementia. Lecture topics include a variety of topics, including, but not limited to:

• Understanding Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)
• Super Foods for the Brain
• Cognitively Stimulating Activities
• Facing Fears and Frustrations: Living with MCI

Maintain Your Brain®: “How to live a brain-healthy lifestyle” Community Workshop

Find out what you can do to keep your brain healthy and help reduce the risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease. Attend the Alzheimer’s Association’s Maintain Your Brain®: how to live a brain healthy lifestyle community workshop. The one-hour interactive workshop features nutritional and lifestyle advice, strategies to keep your memory sharp, interactive exercises and activities, and materials to take home for further reading.

The workshop will introduce attendees to scientifically rooted advice on brain health based on strong lifestyle choices, including:

• Staying sharp with challenging mental activities
• Engaging in social interactions
• Adopting a brain-healthy diet
• Remaining physically active

Effective Communication Techniques and Skills for Residents Experiencing Dementia

Persons with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease experience changes in their ability to communicate with others. These changes present challenges for families, caretakers, and the person with dementia. This course is designed to enhance knowledge and skills regarding a number of typical communication changes associated with dementia, barriers and/or factors that inhibit communication with the dementia population, strategies and techniques that promote positive verbal and non-verbal interactions with residents experiencing dementia, and tips for communicating with anxious residents.

Safe Return

Caregivers for persons with Alzheimer’s disease and/or related dementias face numerous challenges in their everyday roles. One obstacle of paramount concern is wandering. Six in ten people with Alzheimer’s disease will wander. They may become disoriented and lost, even in their own neighborhood. Wandering is common; however, if not found within 24 hours, half of those who wander risk serious injury or death. This program will address wandering and the inherent risks associated with this behavior, enable officials to recognize, communicate and respond to a memory-impaired adult, and alert both caregivers and law enforcement officials of the Safe Return program and the services that the program and the Alzheimer’s Association has to offer.

Dementia Related Stages of Grief

Caring for a person with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia is an extremely emotional process. It is essential that the caregiver recognizes these feelings and deals with them in an effective manner so that it does not interfere with the ability to care for the person with Alzheimer’s disease. This course is designed to educate people about the dementia associated grief process and the support services available to the caregiver to overcome the process.

Memory Changes Associated with Normal Aging, Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease

Designed to enhance each individual’s knowledge concerning normal aging memory loss or age-related memory loss, the consequences of dementia and the impact, diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, the presentation will identify types of services available when the diagnosis is Alzheimer’s and/or a related dementia.