The Naples Senior Center has been expanding programs for individuals with Alzheimer's disease for almost five years. That support now includes the people in charge of the care of these individuals as well.
The center has started hosting a caregiver boot camp aimed at helping people who are in charge of the health and well-being of patients with Alzheimer's disease.
Four in Your Corner spoke with Dr. Jacklynn Faffer, the CEO and president of the Naples Senior Center. She says the when it comes to coping with Alzheimer's Disease, the people doing the caring are just as important as the people who need the care.
“They have a lot of stress in their lives. They're, of course, doing an ongoing mourning for the loss of their loved ones as they knew them”, she said.
Faffer and her staff helped develop the model from a similar program. The boot camp gives caregivers the opportunity to find support with one another and get information about how best to care for their loved ones while their condition changes.
“It might be an activity from our art therapy program It might be an activity from our music therapy program. Whatever it is, we give them tools that they can take home.”
People who attend learn activities to do with their loved ones and information about legal options to take as the memory deteriorates.
More information about the Naples Senior Center and the resources can be found HERE.
