CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

Being a ?Friend' to Someone With Dementia

The Pilot - 9/25/2016

The community is invited to "How to be a Friend: Thoughts on Dementia and Community" on Thursday, Oct. 13, at 6:30 p.m. at Seven Lakes Chapel in the Pines, located at 581 Seven Lakes Drive in West End. This is the eighth educational seminar sponsored by AOS Care Management, AOS & Friends Care, Fox Hollow Senior Living, OutreachNC magazine and Seven Lakes Chapel in the Pines.

The speaker is Karen D. Sullivan, Ph.D., ABPP, owner of Pinehurst Neuropsychology. Sullivan is Board Certified in Clinical Neuropsychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology. She received her doctoral degree at Boston University in 2009 and completed her internship and post-doctoral fellowship in Clinical Neuropsychology and Rehabilitation/Polytrauma Psychology at the VA Boston Healthcare System, through Harvard Medical School and the Boston University School of Medicine.

"My journey with dementia started when I was 15," Sullivan says. "My favorite person in the whole wide world, my grandmother, began showing signs of Alzheimer's disease, and I became one of her caregivers, an experience that changed the course of my life."

Sullivan's commitment to improve the quality of life for people living with dementia remains a guiding light in her professional career and her involvement in community projects such as the AOS & Friends Care's Mums for Memory fundraiser.

AOS & Friends Care is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt nonprofit whose mission is to provide direct care and community support to older adults who are dealing with the challenges of aging, with a specific focus on those with dementia. Sullivan is actively involved in this organization as a board member and community educator.

"How to be a Friend: Thoughts on Dementia and Community" program was inspired by Betteann and Bill Mamel's dedication to their friend who was experiencing memory loss and difficulty living independently. The Mamels' continuous support is a legacy on how to be friend and truly live in a community with an Alzheimer's diagnosis.

"Due to the high level of stigmas surrounding dementia, older adults are often reluctant to bring up their concerns with their doctors," Sullivan says. "An AARP study found 56 percent of people who stated they were 'very worried' about dementia put off an evaluation for a year or more. Unrecognized dementia leads to greater cognitive symptoms, unnecessary medical workups, greater caregiver burden, inappropriate and costly emergency room care, and poorer outcomes."

Sullivan will explain the value of a gold standard memory evaluation, best practices for treatment of memory loss in older adulthood and why the latest prescription medications for treating memory loss make it essential that a diagnosis occur early and accurately. The program will conclude with a question-and-answer period.

Seven Lakes Chapel in the Pines's doors open at 6 p.m for registration and light refreshments with the program beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Seating is limited, and advance registration is encouraged. For more information or to reserve a seat, call (910) 692-0683 or email infor@AOSNC.com.

Nationwide News