MARTINSBURG - Since her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease three years ago, Martinsburg resident Rebecca Carper has been doing her best to collect information on the disease and different ways her family can support her mother and father as caregivers.
Carper was one of the attendees Wednesday at Berkeley County's first Caregiver University conference on Alzheimer's disease and dementia, sponsored by the Alzheimer's Association's West Virginia chapter.
"I go and help my dad because she's long distance, so I go to help and relieve him. He doesn't have the time, since he's her primary caregiver he can't attend these (conferences), it takes a lot of time, so part of this is to help me, but I also take what I learn here to share with him," Carper said.
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Journal photo by Samantha Cronk
Participants of the one-day Caregiver University conference, hosted by the Alzheimer’s Association WV chapter, listed to Amy Ernsp present her workshop “Do You See What I’m Saying: Communication Techniques” to learn how to better interpret the different forms of communication of Alzheimer’s disease.
The Caregiver University conference, held at Blue Ridge Community and Technical College, provided information for personal and professional caregivers on topics relating to Alzheimer's and dementia including legal and financial information, communication techniques and coping with stress.
The conference topics were chosen by the number of questions and requests an issue will receive through Caregiver University's 24-hour help line, said Laurel Kirksey, executive director of the Alzheimer's Association, WV chapter.
"That's where we identified first and foremost that interpreting Alzheimer's disease and really learning and understanding how people with Alzheimer's disease communicate and how we can best communicate with them," Kirksey said.
The ability to communicate and interpret Alzheimer's is one of the primary reasons Carper participated in the conference, as well as gathering general information.
"I was looking for ways to communicate with someone who's nonverbal and non-English speaking. Her native language is Spanish, and she's going back to that. So what's the best way (to communicate), because she doesn't read, she doesn't write, she doesn't recognize numbers anymore. So really, just more solutions on how to do things or different ideas on how to do things," Carper said.
Falling Waters resident Jessica Michael attended Caregiver University to enhance her professional understanding of Alzheimer's disease and how to advise family members of someone diagnosed.
Michael is a social worker for University Healthcare at Home, and said that Alzheimer's is a prevalent issue for the home health agency, especially with in-home caregivers.
"There's not a whole lot of resources, so that's a common referral I get is that a family needs help and doesn't know what to do because a family member has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's," Michael said.
"So far I have really enjoyed the legal aspect as far as the power of attorney. That's been very helpful to me as a professional," she said.
This is the second year the Caregiver University conference has been in production, and it is offered throughout the state. The Alzheimer's Association WV chapter headquarters is located in Charleston.
"There's a great need in (the Eastern Panhandle), and it's a growing area. We really knew that this was a place that we had to get to this year," Kirksey said.
Berkeley County is also an area where the Alzheimer's Association WV chapter is considering locating a potential satellite office in a future expansion.
In addition to Caregiver University, the Alzheimer's Association will be hosting its annual Walk to End Cancer event at 9 a.m. Sept. 7, at War Memorial Park. The event is a walk-a-thon and will feature educational information on Alzheimer's. The goal for the event is $30,000, with $4,490 currently raised. Teams or individuals can find more information at www.alz.org/wv[1] or by calling 800-272-3900.
- Staff writer Samantha Cronk can be reached at 304-263-8931, ext. 132, or twitter.com/scronkJN.
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