Two Fabulous Virtual Programs are being co-sponsored

by the National Caregiver Family Support program in Montgomery County:

 1. The Alzheimer's Association presents:

RESPONDING TO DEMENTIA-RELATED BEHAVIORS: Behavior is a powerful form of communication and is one of the primary ways people living with dementia communicate their needs and feelings as the ability to use language is lost. Join us to learn to decode behavioral messages, identify common triggers, and learn strategies to help manage some of the most common behavioral challenges of Alzheimer’s disease. This program is being offered in honor of National Caregiver Month.

Speaker: MICHAEL BRICK

Michael Brick has always been and always will be an educator. He believes deeply in the transformative power of education and has dedicated his life to infusing education into all his work. As an experienced educator and educational administrator, he has supported countless individuals in achieving their dreams, ultimately helping folks navigate the complex and often challenging systems of formalized learning and corporate development. Through his theoretical and practical understanding of nuanced systems, he has chosen to fight to dismantle oppressive social systems including higher education, the criminal justice system, and economic injustice. Concurrently, he has always enjoyed using education to make the workplace even better. As we spend more and more time in the office (or at work virtually), he believes everyone deserves a safe, productive, and just work environment.

DAY AND TIME: WEDNESDAY, November 13 at 1 P.M.

Call: 800.272.3900 to receive the LOGIN information

And the Next Wednesday: IN HONOR OF NATIONAL CAREGIVER'S MONTH

2.  Caregiver’s Mental Health:

Join us for an interactive talk with:

Yasaman Alavi, Licensed Professional Counselor

Sante Mental Health Group

Balancing care for self and your loved one.

Learn self-care techniques for the caregiver.

Day And Time: Wednesday, November 20 at 1 P.M.

Virtual Only Connect via Zoom Link

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/71079611070?pwd=Me9xEsvx1NfGmQqlKs3w6rxMe099qV.1 Meeting ID: 710 7961 1070 Passcode: 3N3yrk

 Special Program Announcement:

HOWARD COUNTY Caregiver Conference for National Caregivers month:

Date: November 16

Time: 9:30 am to 3:00 pm

Place: East Columbia 50+ Center

            6610 Cradlerock Way, Columbia, MD 21045

For More Information Contact

Kathy Wehr, Caregiver Support Program Manager

410-313-5955

kwehr@howardcountymd.gov

To REGISTER FOR THE CONFERENCE: https://bit.ly/HOCOCaregiver2024

We Strive to Make Life Better for Caregivers with all of the programs

offered below:

Montgomery County Support Group Programs

                     SAVVY CAREGIVER Virtual Classes 

Proven to decrease family caregiver distress, burden and depression, while increasing caregivers’ sense of competence and confidence in their care role. Feel confident and competent in your role as a caregiver.

REGISTRATION OPEN FOR A THURSDAY MORNING CLASS.

 Starts: October 2 through November 6^th

 Time: 9:30am to 12:00pm

Link to the webpage https://mdlivingwell.org/HUB for people who may be interested in registering for these virtual workshops.

Coping with Change Thursdays from 10:30 am to 11:30 am

Yasaman Alavi, LCPC a therapist from Affiliated Sante Group, leads a support group to help participants overcome challenges of aging. For questions, call 301-332-0462. 

Max You - Maximize the Quality-of-Life Tuesdays from 10:30 am to 11:25 am

Edie K. Mahlman, LCSW-C, facilitates a drop-in support group that confronts the challenges and options inherent in the process of aging.

Holiday Park Senior Center, 3950 Ferrara Drive, Silver Spring Phone:  240-777-4999

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Caregiving Support Groups ♥♥♥

Rockville Support Group | 2nd and 4th Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. | Carole Ashendorf csa9606@gmail.com, 281.216.0940 | RSVP Required. Contact the facilitator.

Holy Cross Resource Center | (Several groups for adult children and Caregiver Spouses) |Please contact: Sarah McKechnie:  Email: mckecs@holycrosshealth.org

Café Latino (Spanish language) | 2nd Saturday at 10:00 am | Diana Backlund and Sarah Rodriguez, alz.cafelatinova@gmail.com | RSVP Required.

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Iona Senior Services Contact the facilitators. Second and Fourth Wed at 6pm - for Adult Children who are caregivers -- Bill Ampt -- bamt@iona.org

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In-Person support Group at Winter Growth:

Days: Last Wednesday of each month Time: 6pm - 7pm

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Sandwich Generation Support Groups- contact Group Leader for details:

1. Sandwich Generation Fourth Wednesday 8pm Andrea Friedman -- ajfrie@gmail.com
2. Sandwich Gen| 4th Thursday at 8pm | Linda Weitzman lcweitzman@gmail.com | Megna                                                                        Guggari mvguggari@gmail.com |

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Ingleside Engaged: A SOCIAL DAY PROGRAM FOR PERSONS WITH COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT

Where: 1615B Piccard Drive Rockville, MD 20850

When: MONDAY–FRIDAY: 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

Call for more information: 240-499-9024

www.ikfmd.org/ingleside-engaged

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Montgomery County, Maryland volunteers have been certified as - Montgomery County Dementia Friendly America Speakers Bureau Presenters.☎

Schedule an Information Session TODAY!

By 2025, the number of people aged 65 and older with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias is estimated to reach 7.1 million. These numbers represent family members, friends, neighbors, co-workers, clients and customers. www.dfamerica.org

We offer FREE 45-60 minute* information sessions that help you to recognize the signs of dementia and provide tips on the ways to communicate with someone living with dementia.

*(We are happy to make time modifications due to staff/participants availability.)

Objectives:

• Learn about Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia.
• Recognize the signs of dementia.
• Discover tips for communicating and interacting with a person who has dementia.
• Establish tips for creating a dementia-friendly physical space.

By offering this information session to your staff and/or your community you will help heighten awareness of dementia and be equipped to respond warmly and effectively when serving people living with dementia and their families.

To Schedule an Information Session with the Montgomery County Maryland’s Dementia Friendly Initiative:

Contact: Ruth Kershner, Caregiver Support Program Manager, Dementia Friendly Champion

Email: ruth.kershner@montgomerycountymd.gov

Phone: 240-962-1151

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We invite you to go online:

The holidays will be here soon! As one of the busiest times of the year approaches, it can be all too easy for those without traditional families to be left without a seat at the table. A disproportionate number of LGBTQ+ older people are affected by seasonal loneliness and isolation because they are less likely to have adult children or may have been alienated from their families of origin at a young age.

We all cherish the older adults in our lives and that makes it difficult to accept that many of our older community members are aging in isolation. Loneliness can have a severe effect on the mental health and wellbeing of our older adults.

SAGE Table is an initiative launched in 2017 to fight isolation in the LGBTQ+ community through the power of intergenerational connections.

SAGE Table events bring together people of all ages at hundreds of tables across the world to share a meal and conversation. The transformative relationships formed around a SAGE Table can alleviate social isolation and its consequences. We’d love for you to be a part of the thousands of new connections that happen through SAGE Table.

SAGE Tables can happen anytime and in any place! More than ever, our community needs to come together to connect with and support one another. We’re fighting back against loneliness one SAGE Table at a time. Join us.  🏳‍🌈

SAGE Table – SAGE (sageusa.org)

https://lgbtagingcenter.org/

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Here are some funny and lighthearted ideas to help adult caregivers get through the holiday season: 😍

1. Holiday "Caregiver Bingo": Make a bingo card with humorous tasks like “Hide in the bathroom for 5 minutes,” “Finish a whole cup of coffee while it’s still hot,” or “Successfully deflect unsolicited advice from a relative.” Reward yourself with a treat for each row completed!
2. Elf Yourself or Yam IT UP: Decorate your caregiving environment with tiny elves or little colored paper Yams or Turkeys or dreidels doing outrageous things—like hanging upside down from the showerhead or driving a remote-control car. A little whimsy can break up the day!
3. Ugly Sweater Day... for Everyone: Dress yourself and your loved one in matching or clashing ugly holiday sweaters for a laugh. Bonus points if you wear them on errands or to Zoom calls! Ugly sweaters aren’t just a December idea- dress in Turkey attire for November.
4. Holiday-Themed Caregiver Survival Kit: Put together a kit with “essentials” like an emergency chocolate stash, a flask labeled "holiday cheer," and earplugs for when relatives start talking politics.
5. Re-Gifting White Elephant: Wrap ridiculous items from around the house (like that weird mug or a random kitchen gadget) and have a white elephant gift exchange with yourself or with others. You can surprise yourself with the random stuff you've forgotten about!
6. Caroling Karaoke: Turn household tasks into a holiday karaoke session! Sing caregiving-related holiday parodies, like “I’m Dreaming of a Silent Night” or “Deck the Halls with Lists of Meds.”
7. Rebrand Holiday Stress: Call holiday prep "extreme caregiving" and pretend you’re in a reality show. Narrate your actions like a host, e.g., “Will she juggle the mashed potatoes and the medication schedule? Tune in to find out!”
8. Cookie Bribery: Bake a ton of cookies and shamelessly use them as bribery to get family members to help with caregiving duties. “I’ll give you two gingerbread men if you help me with the dishes!”
9. Holiday Pajama Day: Declare a day where you and your loved one stay in holiday-themed PJs all day, no matter what happens. It’s easier to laugh at holiday stress when you’re dressed in candy-cane striped or menorah pajamas.
10. Wrap Everything: For fun, wrap random household items as “gifts”—TV remotes, utensils, or even the dog’s toys. When you open them later, act super surprised. It’s a goofy way to inject some fun into routine tasks.

Adding humor to the holiday season helps lighten the mood and provides some much-needed stress relief for caregivers!

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Smile for this month: 😄

Mountains aren't just funny. They're hill areas.

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See Me at the Smithsonian (See Me) is a free, virtual interactive program for adults with dementia and their care partners. During each event, pre-registered participants (12-15 people) explore some of the Smithsonian’s most beloved objects through small group discussions and multi-sensory activities. See Me programs provide intellectual engagement, socialization, and an opportunity for loved ones to spend time together in a relaxed setting. Programs rotate between Smithsonian museums and are offered virtually via Zoom.  🎪

Our public programs are held on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month from 2:00p.m. to 3:00p.m. EST on Zoom. Please email access@si.edu  for specific program dates and Zoom links.

In addition, we provide private programs for larger groups by request. Please email us at access@si.edu to request a private program for your organization. 

See Me at the Smithsonian - Smithsonian American Art Museum

WHEN: Wednesday November 20

TIME: 2:00pm to 3:00 pm

REGISTER: access@si.edu

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FOR TRANSLATION HELP: Contact the Montgomery County Patient Navigator Program:

If you or someone you know is in need of assistance in accessing a Montgomery County health service, contact the Patient Navigator Program today. Information specialists are available to assist callers in Chinese, Dari, Hindi, Korean, Vietnamese, other Asian languages, and English.

(301) 760 – 4991– Chinese Navigation

(301) 760 – 4992– Vietnamese Navigation

(301) 760 – 4571– Hindi Navigation

(301) 760 – 7058– Korean Navigation

(240) 396 – 2191– Dari Navigation

(301) 760 – 7051 – For other languages press 0 to speak with the operator.

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SAFE Disposal of unused Medications Information:💊

The drug overdose epidemic in the United States is a clear and present public health, public safety, and national security threat. DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day reflects DEA’s commitment to Americans’ safety and health, encouraging the public to remove unneeded medications from their homes as a measure of preventing medication misuse and opioid addiction from ever starting. DEA is committed to making our communities safer and healthier, and we can do this by reducing overdoses and overdose deaths. While the community does its part to turn in unneeded medications and remove them from potential harm, we are doing our part to further reduce drug-related violence.

Call your local Police Station to find out days and times you can bring your unused and out of date prescription medications for disposal.

Or go to this webpage: Take Back Day (dea.gov) hhtps://www.dea.gov/takebackday#collection-locator

The website has resources to help you dispose of unneeded medications in your home, seek treatment for a substance use disorder and learn more about the drug overdose epidemic in the United States.

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For More Information about Montgomery County programs: 🌞

For general information about County programs and services, call 3-1-1. Sign up for the County's Alert Montgomery notification system at alert.montgomerycountymd.gov to receive emergency alerts regarding weather and other emergency information.

For help with caregiving referrals and services call: 240-777-3000.

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