CULLMAN, Ala. – Grace Place, Grace Episcopal Church’s memory loss ministry which provides stimulating activity for dementia patients and hours of respite for their caregivers, will hold its third annual Caregivers’ Conference Wednesday, March 11 at Grace Episcopal Church, 305 Arnold St. NE in Cullman. The event is free to all professional and family caregivers and will offer free CEUs for nurses and social workers.
Deacon Jerry Jacob told The Tribune the conference will offer “for a family caregiver, ways to deal with their family member, but also ways to address their grief in the process. When I say ways to deal with their family member: the legal aspects of- if your loved one is end stage or late stage dementia, this is stuff you should have done a long time ago. If they’re early stage dementia, it’s stuff you need to get on right now.
“Also, what are the options- I’m going to say the pluses and minuses- of the way you look down the road if you can no longer handle all the responsibility of taking care of someone? What are the options of a nursing home, assisted living, etc.? There are pluses and minuses to both.
“The complicating factor is every dementia sufferer is different from the next one. There’s no commonality there. There’s no cookie-cutter approach. I hate to use that term, but everybody’s different.”
Three professionals, representing various facets of dementia care, will lead the conference.
William G. “Bill” Nolan
Nolan is an elder law attorney in Hoover and a charter member of the Alabama State Bar’s Elder Law section.
According to information provided by Grace Place:
“He has been a member of the State Bar since 1982 and over the course of his career as an attorney, has served on various committees, sections and task forces serving seniors in our state. He is now or has been on various nonprofit boards as well, such as Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama and the Jefferson County Area Agency on Aging. He has been recognized nine years in a row as an ‘Outstanding Attorney in Elder Law’ by Birmingham Magazine.
“Bill’s firm, Nolan Elder Law & Estate Planning, focuses its work on helping seniors and their families understand and manage the various risks facing families when they age. Unlike other areas of the law where the client recognizes the risk they face (getting a DUI, facing divorce or having to file for bankruptcy), many seniors fail to appreciate the financial risks they face as they age. Helping the adult children (as well as the senior) see these risks and take action, is what elder law is all about.”
Elizabeth “Beth” Gregory, Ph.D.
Gregory is a Licensed Professional Counselor with Gregory Counseling & Consulting LLC in Leeds, Alabama.
According to information provided, “Her graduate degree in counseling was earned at UAB in Birmingham, AL in 1986. She is also licensed as a Psychiatric/Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist and holds national certification in counseling and alcohol/drug counseling. She completed training and was commissioned as a Spiritual Director in 2019 and serves on Adjunct Faculty for Metagem Institute.
“Beth was responsible for the development of a national behavioral health and dementia care program for Amedisys Home Health Care which earned the highest-level accreditation under ACHC. This program allowed her to provide training for medical professionals across the country on management of dementia symptoms in the home setting. She provides training in community settings, churches, business organizations, police departments and professional conferences. She now volunteers as a speaker and Caregiver Support Group Facilitator for Alzheimer’s Association, Alabama Chapter.”
Jacob told The Tribune, “Dr. Elizabeth Gregory is going to talk about the stages of grief with dementia. She was the only one I could find that mentioned that she counseled dementia caregivers, family caregivers, counseled them.”
Tim Meehan
Meehan is president of Senior Placement Services. According to information provided, he “has served in the senior health care industry for more than a decade. Tim entered the field as a sales counselor for Brookdale Place University Park, then Somerby St. Vincent’s 119. In 2013, Tim joined Always Best Care of Birmingham (ABC) as vice president of sales and marketing. During his five-year tenure, Tim helped ABC achieve one of the highest growth rates in the nation. During the course of his career, Tim has helped more than 3,000 families find the right place and care levels for their loved ones.”
Jacob told The Tribune the conference will offer “something for caregivers to learn from. These three professional people is the level that we want to gear this conference to . . . We want to keep the level very high for the presentations, and not just have it to be having it. That’s one purpose.
“Another purpose is to draw attention in the community to why what we’re trying to do is so important . . . The more we can get different perspectives on dealing with dementia, if you’re a caregiver, the more resources we can make available. Even if they don’t utilize (Grace Place), just make people aware of what’s available, because in Cullman County, there’s next to nothing, period.”
Jacob lamented that the county has few physicians, medical specialists and mental health providers who are trained and experienced in dealing with the particular needs of dementia patients, requiring many families to seek medical care in Birmingham or Huntsville.
Quilt raffle to support Grace Place
During the month of March, Grace Place will offer chances on a “biscuit quilt” completed in 2011 by Audrey Polk, mother of Grace Place volunteer Lora Raley. The quilt, made to fit a double bed, took an entire year to complete.
For you fans of the weighted blanket trend, this may be the quilt for you. Made up of hundreds of overstuffed fiber-filled squares, it weighs approximately 15 pounds!
Polk was a resident at Woodland Village when she made the quilt, and it was displayed in her room for years, except for a short stint at the Cullman County Fair where it brought home a blue ribbon.
For more information on the Caregivers’ Conference or the quilt raffle, visit www.facebook.com/305ArnoldStreetNE/, email dcnjacob@gmail.com or info@graceplacecullman.org or call 256-736-4260 or 256-338-6556.
Copyright 2020 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
