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Dementia webinars explore links between music and the brain
The Alzheimer Society of B.C. continues to provide Kootenay residents affected by dementia with practical tips and information through its regular webinar series.
Upcoming June events include sessions on music and dementia, as well as the opportunity to hear directly from people living with dementia as they reflect on what they have learned through their experience of the disease.
“Music and the brain: Key considerations for dementia” takes place on Wednesday, June 9 at 10 a.m. Guest speaker Chelsea Mackinnon will talk about how music may contribute to decreasing the risk of developing dementia, and the links it has with connection and communication.
An instructor at McMaster University, she educates students, health-care providers and family members about how they can use music within their own caring practices.
The next offering in the Society’s “Lived experience” webinar series is on Thursday, June 24 at 10 a.m. In this session, Jim Mann, Myrna Norman and Craig Burns – advocates and community members who are living with dementia – will share tips and strategies on how to learn to live well with the disease and will touch on topics including problems with telling time, lack of initiative, resistance to hygiene, loss of abilities and more.
The “Lived experience” webinar series is a valuable opportunity to hear directly from people with lived experience and gain a deeper understanding of the issues they face.
Weekly information, tips and discussions
The full list of webinars offered by the Alzheimer Society of B.C. this month includes:
* Targeted strategies for challenging behaviours (Wednesday, May 26, 2 p.m. PT): Learn specific strategies for responding to behaviours that dementia caregivers most commonly ask us about, including wanting to go home and asking about deceased relatives.
* Living safely with dementia (Wednesday, June 2, 2 p.m. PT): Explore how people living with dementia and their families can live safely in the community.
* Music and the brain: Key considerations for dementia (Wednesday, June 9 at 10 a.m. PT): Guest speaker Chelsea Mackinnon explores the links between music, connection and communication and to discuss musical strategies for dementia and how music may contribute to decreased risk of developing dementia. You will come away with numerous practical tools that you can use.
* Driving and dementia (Wednesday, June 16 at 2 p.m. PT): Learn how dementia may affect a person’s driving abilities and strategies to ease the transition for driving cessation.
* Lived experience: Strategies I wish I’d known (Thursday, June 24 at 10 a.m. PT): Continue the discussion with people living with dementia who share some tips and strategies for living well with dementia.
To register for any of these webinars, or to access free recorded webinars, visit alzbc.org/webinars.
The Alzheimer Society of B.C. is committed to ensuring that people affected by dementia have the confidence and skills to live the best life possible. First Link dementia support is the Alzheimer Society of B.C.’s suite of programs and services designed to help them. First Link is available throughout the progression of the disease, from diagnosis (or before) to end-of-life care.
Connect to First Link by asking your health-care provider for a referral or by calling the First Link Dementia Helpline at 1-800-936-6033. The Helpline is available Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Information and support is also available in Punjabi (1-833-674-5003) and in Cantonese or Mandarin (1-833-674-5007), available Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Photos submitted
The Alzheimer Society of B.C.
