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
October 2024 Conversations With Caregivers
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
Poetry Slam for Caregivers
October 2024 Health and Resiliency
Do you believe in the healing power of words, writing, and creativity? Join us for an evening of poetry, short stories, and essays in our first Poetry Slam! Come read original pieces or share published pieces that have moved you. Come to witness others’ healing work. Come to be with people who are on this journey with you, whether you are experiencing cognitive changes or caring for someone with cognitive changes. If you have a piece you would like to share, please email kkozelka@mgh.harvard.edu and let us know.
Kim Willment PhD, is a board-certified neuropsychologist in the Department of Neurology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She founded and is now the Director of the Resilience through Neurologic and Emotional Wellness – RENEW Program. RENEW offers a range of comprehensive care programs to promote recovery and adjustment to neurologic illness/injury and support brain and emotional wellness for people with neurologic disorders. These group-based services
provide education, cognitive skills training, therapeutic support, and enrichment services. RENEW also supports families and caregivers by offering dementia caregiving skills and wellness programs.
Join us Tuesday, October 1, 2024 at 5:30 – 6:30pm EST via Zoom.
Click here to RSVP
Kim Willment, PhD
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.