Iowans with a loved one who’s living with Alzheimer’s disease are urged to check out a free virtual educational series starting next week.
Lauren Livingston, spokeswoman for the Iowa Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, says families in this situation can face a very difficult road and these five live sessions can help them to navigate it.
“The first set of them cover living with Alzheimer’s for caregivers, so it helps caregivers understand what to expect from their loved one who is living with the disease,” Livingston says. “There are three different programs for early-stage, middle stage, and late stage of the disease.”
One entire 90-minute session will be devoted to the legal and financial issues that families being touched by Alzheimer’s will be likely to face. “We all know that this can be a very expensive disease so it helps families prepare for what’s to come,” Livingston says, “and think about things to get in line before their loved one may need to go to longterm care or something like that.”
An optimistic fifth online session will focus on new advances in Alzheimer’s treatments. About 66-thousand Iowans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, and 73,000 Iowans are serving as caregivers for their family members and friends. Livingston says each of the virtual education programs will be held over Zoom and participants will be able to ask questions and engage with others going through an Alzheimer’s journey.
“A lot of caregivers don’t know that the Alzheimer’s Association is out there,” Livingston says. “All of our resources are free. We want to be there to provide all the information to caregivers about the disease from the different warning signs to what to expect when their loved one is living with the disease to how to look for a care facility in their area.”
The first of the sessions, for early-stage caregivers, is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on January 12th. For the full schedule, call 800-272-3900 or visit alz.org/iowa.