To all the caregivers in our community and around the world: you are seen, valued, and appreciated. Join us on November 10 - 14 and honor the selfless dedication of caregivers everywhere. 

ABOUT THE SESSIONS

Day 1: Sleep as Self-Care with Glenna Brewster, PhD, RN, FNP-BC
Caregivers often give so much of themselves that their own rest and well-being are overlooked. This session explores how sleep is a vital form of self-care that supports resilience, mood, and overall health. Drawing on her research with caregivers of persons living with dementia, Dr. Brewster discusses the science of sleep, how caregiving responsibilities and pre-existing habits can disrupt it, and evidence-based strategies to improve sleep quality. Participants will gain practical tools and renewed understanding of how to develop better sleep habits –even amidst the ongoing demands of caregiving and daily life.

In this session, we will: 
1. Evaluate how caregiving responsibilities and pre-existing habits contribute to sleep disruption.
2. Implement evidence-based strategies and practical tools to immediately improve sleep quality and develop sustainable, healthy sleep habits.

Day 2: How to Stay Healthy as a Caregiver with Sherry McAllister, MS (Ed), DC, CCSP
Caregivers give so much of themselves—physically, emotionally, and mentally—that their own health is often at risk. In this session, Dr. Sherry McAllister will share practical strategies to help caregivers of patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias stay strong and resilient. With a warm, welcoming approach, the course blends inspiring stories, actionable health tips, light movement and stretches, and highlights from recent research on meditation for caregiver well-being. Attendees will leave with renewed energy, hope, and simple tools they can begin using immediately.

In this session, we will:
1. Acknowledge the physical, emotional, and mental risks that caregivers face due to the immense commitment of their role.
2. Implement simple, actionable health tips – including light movement, stretches, and meditation techniques – to build strength and resilience immediately.
3. Recognize the power of inspiring stories and research highlights to foster hope and renew energy throughout the caregiving journey.

Day 3: Supporting Caregiver Sorrow with Dale Atkins, PhD, MA, BS
Caregivers are the unsung heroes of our Alzheimer’s community. They carry out such important assistance to Alzheimer’s and dementia patients, and as a consequence, they often experience high stress and declining health. In this presentation, we will discuss the most common caregiving feelings, such as sorrow, sadness, burden and worry. We will also offer practical tools to help process these powerful emotions in order to help alleviate some of the distress that caregivers experience.

In this session, we will:
1. Explore how caregiving has impacted your sense of inner balance.
2. Identify the obstacles you may be experiencing to creating stability in your daily life.
3. Discuss ways to incorporate creative coping strategies in your caregiving experience.

Day 4: How to Prepare NOW for the Costs and Realities of Family Caregiving with Julia Yarbough, Family Caregiving Advocate
Finances are one of the biggest concerns of caregiving. In this session, we’ll provide a caregiving lived experience with practical lessons learned as a caregiver to an elderly parent. We’ll explore some of the steps to consider as one moves through planning for the financial realities of family caregiving, and also preparing for your own financial future. Topics will include practical advanced planning regarding medical insurance and costs, long-term care insurance, housing and transportation costs as one ages, and the financial realities of professional living options such as Skilled Nursing Facilities or Assisted Living Facilities. 

In this session, we will: 
1. Distinguish between the different types of professional care (ALF vs. SNF) and evaluate the long-term financial costs associated with each.
2. Develop questions for proactive family-planning discussions about care, finances, and housing/transportation.
3. Incorporate practical, real-world lessons from a caregiver's lived experience to build a more resilient and emotionally prepared financial plan.

Day 5: Building Your Support Network for Your Caregiving Journey with Mary Lou Green, BA, MA, CDP, BLS
The journey of Alzheimer's disease is one that both the patient and the caregiver travel together, demanding constant adaptation from start to finish. In this session, Mary Lou Green teaches caregivers the importance of prioritizing their own health by putting on their own oxygen masks first – because staying healthy is essential for the long haul. This includes handouts to help build a Caregiver’s Notebook that will become invaluable in providing details of the person’s history with the disease, as well as a record of all that was accomplished.

We are deeply grateful to have leading brain health experts develop and share these vital programs with our community. To learn more about who they are, click here.

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