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Maryland Launches a New Resource for Families Impacted by Dementia
When someone you love receives a memory loss diagnosis, life can become overwhelming. Concerns about your loved one's health and safety can lead to sleepless nights filled with unanswered questions about how to manage the emerging responsibilities of constantly shifting needs. Caregivers can spend hours scouring a sprawling network of resources and service providers for direction, often neglecting their own needs as they focus on their caregiving duties. The Johns Hopkins Memory Care Family Checklist can help. An innovative resource developed by Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing in partnership with the Maryland Information Network and the Maryland Department of Aging, the Checklist helps families caring for someone with cognitive challenges identify essential needs, access reliable information, and connect with supports to develop a broader care plan.
How it Works
The Checklist pairs clinically validated research with community resources tailored to a family’s individual circumstances. Users are guided through an assessment questionnaire that evaluates a range of care needs of people living with dementia and their caregivers. Then it integrates with the 211 Community Resource Database to connect the user with up-to-date, location-specific supports to help meet those needs. It takes about 15 minutes to complete, and results in a Personalized Report that prioritizes areas of concern and provides recommendations on next steps. Caregivers who piloted the Checklist said it was a very useful tool for organizing their thoughts and identifying areas of need and support they hadn’t considered.
Prioritizing Family Caregivers
Maryland’s family caregivers provide millions of hours of unpaid care each year, valued at more than $6.5 million in dementia care alone. It’s a responsibility that may come with physical and emotional demands and feelings of isolation. The Checklist prioritizes family caregivers by helping them recognize their needs, locate respite care options in their community, and connect them with supports to ensure they are better equipped to provide consistent, compassionate care. A dementia diagnosis is a life-changing experience--but families don’t have to face it alone. Maryland’s new Memory Care Family Checklist offers clarity and a compassionate starting point. The Checklist can be accessed at
https://marylandaccesspoint.211md.org/memorycare/.
Montgomery County SHIP Presents Understanding Your Medicare Choices
Join SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program) for free monthly Medicare seminars at County libraries. The Montgomery County SHIP Director will present expert, unbiased information about what you need to know before enrolling in Medicare. You will learn what coverage you need, how enrollment periods work, and how to avoid penalties. No registration is required. For information, visit https://MedicareABCD.org/events/list/.
Monday, July 6th, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Germantown Library, 19840 Century Boulevard, Germantown
Wednesday, July 22nd, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Praisner Library, 14910 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville
Montgomery County SHIP is a federally funded program that provides Medicare counseling and information from certified counselors to new and current Medicare beneficiaries, their families, and Caregivers. SHIP can be contacted by phone at 301-255-4250, email SHIP@AccessJCA.org, or online at www.MedicareABCD.org.
Over the Rainbow Senior Prom - Free
You’re invited to celebrate LGBTQ+ Seniors, Friends, and Caregivers
Saturday, July 11th, from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Margaret Schweinhaut Senior Center, 1000 Forest Glen Road, Silver Spring
* food * dancing * raffles * lots of fun
Registration at the door or at www.ActiveMontgomery.org with Activity Number R07107-556. For questions or information, contact Teanna Abraham at 240-777-6945 or Teanna.Abraham@MontgomeryCountyMD.gov.
Enjoy These Low-Cost Opportunities at Oasis
The mission of Washington Metro Oasis (located in Macy’s Home Store, 2nd floor, 7125 Democracy Blvd, Bethesda) is to offer a unique mix of lifelong learning, social, health, and volunteer programs. The full schedule is on the website here, or you can call 240-800-3745 or email WashingtonMetro@OasisNet.org to request a printed catalog. Scholarships are available.
Stop the Bleed – Save a Life
Wednesday, July 15th, from 1:00 pm to 2:15 pm At Oasis - $5
Learn how to act as an immediate responder to help save lives when disaster strikes. Individuals with little or no medical training will learn how to use their hands to apply pressure to a wound, pack a wound to control bleeding, and correctly apply a tourniquet. These three techniques will empower you to assist in an emergency and potentially save a life. Register here.
Better Breathers Club
Tuesday, July 28th from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm via Zoom
The Better Breathers Club is a free program open to all staff and their families, patients and the community. This patient-centered and community-based club supports people with chronic lung disease, including COPD, asthma, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and lung cancer. You will learn better ways to cope with your disease while getting support from others facing similar challenges. Register here.
Montgomery County’s Annual Active Aging Week - October 5th through 11th Active Aging Week (AAW) is an international week-long campaign celebrating the positivity of aging and active living. Montgomery County has participated in AAW since 2018.
Senior centers, recreation centers, hospitals, libraries, agencies, and community organizations throughout the County already host a variety of special events and programs that showcase opportunities to grow, learn, have fun, and stay fit as we age. Montgomery County's AAW Committee is looking for events for the 55+ population.
Each agency is encouraged to submit at least two activities or programs to be included in the County’s calendar of events. We hope these programs will be free to the public. Submit your activities by August 5: https://forms.gle/Bg3AjpofrkKiEtE9A
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