Transforming Memory Care
Through education, collaboration, and supportAfter my husband’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, the DCC support group helped me cope with my new responsibilities and accept the uncertainty of what’s to come."
About the Dementia Care Collaborative
The Dementia Care Collaborative was created to educate and support patients, caregivers, healthcare providers, and the community. Dedicated team members offer opportunities for learning and connecting across the hospital and into the community at large. We are here to teach new ways of understanding dementia, how to best communicate and partner with those with dementia and offer support and guidance for caregivers to feel empowered to foster their own wellbeing and resilience.
The Dementia Care Collaborative is part of the MGH Division of Palliative Care & Geriatric Medicine and is an umbrella for the Dementia Caregiver Support Program and the Memory Care Program.
The Dementia Care Collaborative has been funded by the generosity of supporting individuals and foundations including the Jack Satter Foundation and The Bresky Foundation since its inception in 2017. Please give today to support our mission to transform memory care.
Conversations With Caregivers
Grief and Loss in Dementia with Kenneth Doka, PhD
October 15, 2024 5:30- 7:00pm EST
This session explores the relationship between dementia and grief. Specifically, the session reviews the ways that individuals, families, and caregivers may experience grief when an individual begins to develop dementia as well as how
persons with dementia may manifest grief as dementia progresses. The session places a strong emphasis on ways to assist families and other individuals in acknowledging their losses as well as offering strategies to assist both family members and caregivers in coping with loss. In addition, the webinar offers strategies to assist individuals with dementia as they deal with loss.
Dr. Kenneth J. Doka, PhD, is a Professor Emeritus at the Graduate School of The College of New Rochelle and Senior Vice-President for the Hospice Foundation of America. A prolific author, Dr. Doka has authored or edited over 40 books and
over 100 articles and book chapters. Dr. Doka is editor of both Omega: The Journal of Death and Dying and Journeys: A Newsletter to Help in Bereavement. Dr. Doka was elected President of the Association for Death Education and Counseling in 1993. In 1995, he was elected to the Board of Directors of the International Work Group on Dying, Death and Bereavement and served as chair from 1997-1999. ADEC presented him with an Award for Outstanding Contributions in the Field of Death Education in 1998. His Alma Mater Concordia College presented him with their first Distinguished Alumnus Award. He is a recipient of the Caring Hands Award as well as the Dr. Robert Fulton CDEB Founder’s Award. Both ADEC and IWG honored him with Lifetime Achievement Awards. In 2006, Dr. Doka was grandfathered in as a Mental Health Counselor under NY State’s first licensure of counselors.
Join us Tuesday, October 15, 2024 at 5:30 – 7:00pm EST via Zoom.
Click here to RSVPVIEW ALL OUR CONVERSATIONS
Kenneth Doka, PhD
Supported by the Center for Women, Wellness & Wealth, Inspired by Berkshire Bank; the Bresky Foundation and the Satter Foundation.
Health and Resiliency
Taking Refuge in Qigong with Ellen DeGenova
November 5, 2024 5:30-6:30pm EST
Qigong is often called the “Mother of Tai Chi.” It is a restorative and energizing practice that dates back thousands of years. Through gentle and highly adaptable movements, we will begin to discover how to cultivate and balance our vital life force (qi). Snagged places, be they mental or physical, slowly become unsnagged and dormant areas become more alive. A Qigong practice can help create a calm, nurturing refuge as we ride the ups and downs of caregiving. We learn how to elicit the innate intelligence of qi that is indeed our birthright. All are welcome to explore and play! No experience necessary.
As a former caregiver to a loved one with dementia, Ellen knows firsthand the challenges and rewards of the caregiving life. She is a certified graduate of the Tree of
Life Tai Chi Center’s Teacher Training Program where she is an assistant instructor. She also teaches for East End House, Cambridge Plays, and the Harvard Center for Wellness. Past teaching engagements include the MGH Parkinson’s Tai Chi and Speaker Series, Harvard Museums of Science and Culture, Harvard Medical School, and other clients in the nonprofit and for-profit worlds. Her approach to teaching is informed by 35 years of meditation practice. Nothing makes her happier than to help others find peace of mind- body and to revitalize through the subtle power of Qigong and Tai Chi. For more info, visit: www.ellendtaichi.com.
Join us Tuesday, November 5, 2024 at 5:30 – 6:30pm EST via Zoom.
Click here to RSVP
Ellen DeGenova
Programs
Latest News
Click here for information on the latest news about the Dementia Care Collaborative, dementia care at Mass General Hospital,
advances in research, health care policy, and tips for living well with dementia.