MEMIC recently invited Dementia Care Specialist Heather McKay to lead a policyholder webinar series and the response has been overwhelming. This is no surprise as Heather is an incredibly knowledgeable and dynamic presenter and millions of families struggle to support a loved one with Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia.

As presented in this series, dementia is an umbrella term that describes many diseases that are extremely challenging, both for the patient and the caregiver. Symptoms can vary greatly day to day, even hour to hour. “Sundowning” is an increase in behavioral problems beginning at dusk. Sometimes early morning is most difficult with the combination of dementia, fatigue, and low blood sugar levels. Physical exhaustion due to lack of sleep can greatly increase the frustration of both the patient and caregiver.

In this video excerpt, Heather shares a story of how a simple change to the morning routine, giving her husband a glass of juice first thing before making breakfast, created an entirely different morning experience. These videos also cover how memory changes take place, how caregivers can approach and communicate effectively, methods of dealing with distress and recognizing changes, and providing end-of-life care. This eight-part Dementia Care Training Video Series is available to assist not only professional caregivers, but anyone who has someone in their life suffering from dementia.

MEMIC policyholders can view the video training series any time by logging on to the MEMIC Safety Director. Here is what some of our policyholders have to say about the series:

“It is the best presentation on dementia that I have ever watched. I think anyone working with people suffering from dementia should see this series.”

“I really enjoyed Heather’s stories and how they relate to dementia and treatment. She was very lively and engaging!”

"The presenter was excellent in her teaching methodology and the information she presented was invaluable!"

“The sessions were both engaging and informative – I had many positive comments regarding the training from all of the nursing staff who attended. I witnessed many of them have ‘aha’ moments during the training and it was a beautiful thing to then watch them return to their units and actually apply the techniques that were taught.