Tips for Overcoming the Stigma & Isolation of Dementia Caregiving

Celebrate National Family Caregiver Month!
Caregiver Emotional Self-Defense

Have you felt fear about being judged by others because of your loved ones’ dementia behavior? Are you worried about being embarrassed? Do you isolate yourself and your loved one from others as a way of trying to help them preserve their dignity?
This conversation will provide participants with tips on how to handle the emotional reactions of friends and family toward our loved ones. It will identify decisions that may lead to further isolation and suggest opportunities for creating “teachable moments” that may result in creating more familiarity, understanding, and acceptance of dementia among our friends, family and community.
About the Speakers:
Dr. Warren Wong has dedicated his professional life to the care of older adults. He is the founder of the geriatrics service at Kaiser Permanente in Hawaii and later went on to design “Senior Segmentation”, a strategy that is being implemented throughout Kaiser Permanente’s one million older adult members. In 2017 Dr. Wong founded a startup, MemoriesConnect, which provides app-based support to people living with dementia and to their caregivers and loved ones. In 2020, Dr. Wong initiated COVID19Caregiving.com, a virtual community for caregivers in the context of COVID-19. In 2021, Dr. Wong initiated Geriatricswithaloha.com. Dr. Wong is a Clinical Professor in Geriatrics Medicine at the John A. Burns School of Medicine and is the Medical Director at Healthpersonas.com..
Gary Simon and his wife, Akemi, provided care at home for 26 years to Akemi’s mother who suffered from dementia and who passed away peacefully at home in 2019. Gary is President of the Hawaii Family Caregiver Coalition, AARP Hawaii Volunteer State President, Chairperson of the State of Hawaii Policy Advisory Board for Elder Affairs, previously was St. Francis Hospice Executive Director, and was a member of the Statewide Task Force on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias.
This session is hosted by the Alzheimer’s Association Aloha Chapter in partnership with AARP Hawaii, Hale Hauoli Hawaii, Maui County Office on Aging, and Gimme a Break. Registration is through the host organization and any information shared with them is subject to their privacy policies.

To sign up for this event, please click here.