Dementia support group sets trainings on end-of-life care

Starting this March and continuing through April, the Guam/Micronesia Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program of the University of Guam School of Health will provide an opportunity for caregivers of persons with dementia to participate in an online training and certification program called CARES End-of-Life Dementia Care. This award-winning program helps family and professional caregivers understand what is happening to a person with dementia at the end of life and equips caregivers with tools and strategies to approach end-of-life care with confidence. 

The program has five modules, three of which will take place this month:

Module 1: Introduction to End-of-Life Dementia Care

• 6pm-8pm, Wednesday, March 2, or

• 10am-noon, Saturday, March 5

Module 2: The CARES Approach

• 6pm-8pm, Wednesday, March 16, or

• 10am-noon, Saturday, March 19

Module 3: Decision Making at the End of Life

• 6pm-8pm, Wednesday, March 30, or

• 10am-noon, Saturday, April 2

Participants who complete all five modules will receive a certificate of completion and will be eligible for CARES Dementia Certification. 

CARES was created by HealthCare Interactive, an organization that specializes in online training for caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. All of the CARES training programs were developed in collaboration with the Alzheimer’s Association and include evidence-based strategies grounded in the Alzheimer’s Association Dementia Care Practice Recommendations. 

Special sessions featuring local literature
At 6pm on Wednesday, March 9, and again at 10am on Saturday, March 12, the program will feature a special presentation on making meaningful connections with older adults and persons with dementia through collaborative readings of local literature from Guam, including novels, short stories, and picture books. 

Several authors will be in attendance at the virtual session to share the inspiration for their writing and to give a live reading from their books. 

The session will include live readings from the following books:

• Neni Girl from Agat, Guam by Anita Borja Enriquez, DBA 

• Where’s Ko’ko’? by Isaiah Diaz 

• CHamoru Legends: A Gathering of Stories retold by Teresita Lourdes Perez

• Ma Guaiya Yu’, si Nåna yan si Tåta (Grandma and Grandpa Love Me) by Simone Bollinger yan Dana Bollinger 

• Guaiyayon na Trongkon Mansanita (The Loveable Mansanita Tree) by Dolores Indalecio Camacho 

The support group will also feature Sen. Amanda Shelton as a special guest speaker on Wednesday, March 23, and again on Saturday, March 26.

How to participate
To attend a family caregiver online support group, use the following Zoom links:

Wednesday Support Group (6pm-8pm): https://zoom.us/j/92072878067

Saturday Support Group (10am-12 noon): https://zoom.us/j/91243370958

Weekly family caregiver support groups   
The support groups are facilitated by Iain Twaddle from the University of Guam, who holds a doctorate in clinical psychology and is a licensed clinical psychologist; Rhoda Orallo, a social worker with Health Services of the Pacific, who holds a master’s in social work; and Nikolas Gutierrez, a G/M GWEP counselor who holds a bachelor’s in psychology.

For more information, contact Twaddle or Gutierrez at (671) 735-2883 or gwep.tgss@triton.uog.edu or Orallo at (671) 735-3277 or nfcspmgr@teleguam.net. (PR)