Caregiver Academy

Your Trusted Partner in Dementia Care Education

Caregiver Academy results from years of collaboration and resource sharing between LifeCare Memory Partners, the Alzheimer’s Association, Cape Fear Area Agency on Aging, and AARP. Our goal is to deliver immense value to caregivers of people living with Alzheimer’s Disease or other related dementia through evidence-based education and peer-to-peer support. By leveraging the collective strength of our four organizations, we can provide an incredible variety of educational offerings for every caregiver, regardless of where they are in their caregiving journey. We offer more than 25 unique education programs, with many available on demand online. We’ve got you covered from financial and estate planning to managing daily living activities.

In-Person Education Resources

Below is a list of in-person education resources we offer. Visit our calendar to see all education offering and support groups.

Savvy Caregiver: This six-week training course is designed to increase skills and knowledge for caregiving, understand the diseases that cause dementia, gain confidence to effectively address dementia behaviors, learn ways to increase family involvement, and reduce the impact of caregiving.

ABCs of Dementia: This one-hour session reviews the four most common types of dementia and their individual characteristics. Includes comparisons of normal and not normal brain changes and how those changes impact all five senses.

Powerful Tools for Caregivers: This six-week course gives you the skills to take care of yourself while caring for someone else. By taking care of your own health and well-being, you become a better caregiver. Six class sessions held once a week are led by experienced class leaders. Class participants are given The Caregiver Helpbook to accompany the class and provide additional caregiver resources.

Dementia Live: This session is a high-impact, dementia simulation and sensitivity training experience that immerses participants into what it could be like to live life with cognitive impairment and sensory change. The program consists of three parts: preparation, experience, and empowerment.

Dementia Friends: Dementia Friends USA is a global movement that is changing the way people think, act, and talk about dementia. Developed by the Alzheimer’s Society in the United Kingdom, the Dementia Friends initiative is underway in the USA. By helping everyone in a community understand what dementia is and how it affects people, each of us can make a difference for people touched by dementia.

Normal Aging vs Not Normal Aging: This 30-minute session will review normal cognitive challenges as people age and contrast it with not normal aging.

Hand Under Hand Technique: This 30-minute session will demonstrate connecting with comfort and eye contact, guiding with help of movement, providing fine motor skills, and offering the client a sense of control.

GEM States: This one-hour session focuses on seeing the individual as unique and capable, rather than on memory loss. Using gemstones as a reference for each stage of dementia helps define the characteristics of the individual and the care needed to ensure the best quality of life.

Fall Prevention and Safety: This 30-minute session focuses on fall prevention strategies in and outside of the home, including how to recognize and remove common hazards.

Living with Dementia – Behaviors: This one-hour session will focus on various behaviors associated with early, middle, and late stages of Alzheimer’s Disease and having a better understanding of how dementia affects memory, thinking, and activities of daily living.

Living with Dementia – Communication, Comfort, and Care: This one-hour session offers caregivers strategies to better understand how to comfort their loved one when challenging behaviors are present, recognize the signs of pain, understand how routines are changing, and applying knowledge on anticipating needs of those living with dementia.

Living with Grief: This one-hour session reviews the different types of grief, community resources available, support groups, and caregiver survival tips.

Non-pharmacological Interventions for Those Living with Dementia: This one-hour session helps caregivers increase their knowledge as it relates to the effectiveness of over-the-counter supplements and cognitive function.
On-Demand Online Education Resources

10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s: Recognize common warning signs of Alzheimer’s and learn what symptoms to look for in yourself and others. Also available in Spanish.

Understanding Alzheimer’s and Dementia: Learn about the difference between Alzheimer’s and dementia, stages, risk factors and more. Also available in Spanish.

Managing Money – A Caregiver’s Guide to Finances: Learn about the costs of caregiving and the benefits of early financial and legal planning. Also available in Spanish.

Approaching Alzheimer’s – First Responder Training: This free online course will help prepare you to respond to commons calls involving a person with dementia.

Dementia Conversations: Driving, Doctor Visits, Legal & Financial Planning: Learn to have honest and caring conversations about common concerns when someone begins to show signs of dementia.

Effective Communication Strategies: Learn to decode the verbal and behavioral messages delivered by someone with dementia, and identify strategies to help you connect and communicate at each stage of the disease.

Healthy Living for Your Brain and Body– Tips from the Latest Research: Join us to learn about the latest research providing insights into how to make lifestyle choices that may help you keep your brain and body healthy as you age, and use hands-on tools to help you incorporate these recommendations into a plan for healthy aging. Also available in Spanish.

Living with Alzheimer’s – For People with Alzheimer’s: Learn what you need to know, what you need to plan, and what you can do as you navigate this chapter of your life.

Living with Alzheimer’s for Caregivers – Early Stage: Hear from those directly affected and learn what you can do to cope with the changes that come with an early-stage diagnosis.

Living with Alzheimer’s for Caregivers – Middle Stage: Hear caregivers and professionals discuss helpful strategies to provide safe, effective and comfortable care in the middle stage of Alzheimer’s.

Living with Alzheimer’s for Caregivers – Late Stage: Hear from caregivers and professionals about resources, monitoring care and providing meaningful connection for the person with late-stage Alzheimer’s and their families.

Living with Alzheimer’s – for Younger Onset Alzheimer’s: Hear from those directly affected and learn what you need to know, what you need to plan, and what you can do to ease the impact throughout the course of the disease.

Understanding and Responding to Dementia-Related Behavior: Learn to about some of the common triggers for behaviors associated with dementia, how to assess the person’s needs, and how to intervene effectively.
About the Alzheimer’s Association

The Alzheimer’s Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer’s care, support and research.

Our Mission: The Alzheimer’s Association leads the way to end Alzheimer’s and all other dementia — by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. We work on a national and local level to provide care and support for all those affected by Alzheimer’s and other dementias. As the largest nonprofit funder of Alzheimer’s research, the Association is committed to advancing vital research toward methods of treatment, prevention and, ultimately, a cure.

Our free nationwide 24/7 Helpline (800.272.3900) is staffed by master’s-level clinicians and specialists, providing confidential support and information to all those affected, in over 200 languages. We provide innovative resources to support those living with Alzheimer’s, such as LiveWell, a suite of online tools to empower those living with the disease and for caregivers and families through our Alzheimer’s and Dementia caregiving section.

We make it easy for families to find programs and services using the Alzheimer’s Association & AARP Community Resource Finder, a comprehensive database of dementia and aging-related resources. Our education programs for the general public, both online and in person aross communities, feature information on topics such as diagnosis, warning signs, communication, living with Alzheimer’s disease and caregiving.

Learn more at alz.org
About Cape Fear Area Agency on Aging
The Cape Fear Area Agency on Aging is the organization mandated under the provisions of the Older American’s Act of 1965, as amended, to work on behalf of older adults and their caregivers in Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover and Pender Counties.

It is our mission to enhance the quality of life and meet the needs of older adults and their caregivers through a regional system of comprehensive, coordinated and community-based services and advocacy.

The Cape Fear Area Agency on Aging’s vision is to support the autonomy, independence, and dignity of older citizens through planning for future needs with regional leaders, stakeholders, and consumers for a community that embraces and responds to changing needs and opportunities for older adults.

Our Primary Activities include:

Development, coordination, and implementation of a comprehensive care system for older adults

Development of programs and resources to address gaps in services

Providing information and referral to local resources

Allocation and management of funding for services in the region

Technical assistance to agencies that serve older adults

Regional Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program

Family Caregiver Support Program

Project C.A.R.E. (Caregivers Alternatives to Running on Empty)

Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP)

Administrative support of the Region’s N.C. Senior Tar Heel Legislature

Education and information on aging issues and resources

Coordination of the Cape Fear Elder Abuse Prevention Network

Learn more at https://capefearcog.org/area-agency-on-aging/
About AARP

AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that empowers people aged 50 and older to live their best lives. With a mission to enhance the quality of life for older adults, AARP provides resources, tools, and advocacy focused on issues such as health care, financial security, and social engagement. Founded in 1958, the organization serves millions of members nationwide, offering a wide array of benefits, including discounts, educational materials, and access to valuable programs that promote healthy aging and independence.

AARP is a powerful advocate for older Americans, working at both the state and national levels to influence public policy on issues that matter most to its members. The organization fights for the protection of Social Security and Medicare, advocates for affordable and accessible health care, and addresses age discrimination in the workplace. Through its advocacy, AARP seeks to create more livable communities that support aging in place, ensuring that older adults can remain active, engaged, and independent in their own homes and neighborhoods.

In addition to its advocacy and policy work, AARP provides practical support and resources to older adults and their caregivers. From helping members navigate financial planning and retirement to providing resources on caregiving and family support, AARP offers programs and tools that address the needs of older adults at every stage of life. The organization also hosts educational workshops, online courses, and community programs to promote lifelong learning and personal enrichment. Through its website, magazine, and social media channels, AARP keeps its members informed about critical issues and offers guidance on how to lead healthier, more secure lives.

https://local.aarp.org/wilmington-nc/

News/Blog

Your Trusted Partner in Dementia Care Education

A service of Lower Cape Fear LifeCare.