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     At an upcoming conference on Alzheimer’s and Other Dementia Care, geriatric psychiatry professionals, including staff with the Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation’s Dementia Education and Training program, will offer three tracks of training for professionals and family members caring for persons with Alzheimer’s Disease or other dementia. The conference, "Comprehensive Long-term Care Management of the Dementia Patient," will be held in Tuscaloosa at the Bryant Conference Center September 15, 2000. A preconference event on September 14 will address "Dementias other than Alzheimer’s Disease." The main conference will feature tracks for caregivers in nursing home, assisted living and home settings.

     According to Dr. Richard Powers, Director of the DETA (Dementia Education and Training Act, passed by the Alabama legislature in 1993) program for the DMH/MR, his program has conducted training for years for nursing homes, community mental health centers, hospitals and family caregivers. Targeting assisted living facility providers is an addition that he feels will help families feel more comfortable in choosing among various options for their loved one with dementia. "Training caregivers is very important so that families can feel confident in electing an option like assisted living," he said.

     Powers is also very interested in providing training to persons caring for dementia patients at home. "The DETA program receives hundreds of calls each year from families caring for a patient with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia at home," he said. In fact, seventy percent of caregiving is provided in the home. Powers indicates that it is important that families understand how dementia can change their family members’ behavior, how drugs can interact to make certain symptoms worse, and how they can help family members with dementia maintain their pride and dignity.

     Conference topics include Neuropsychiatric Problems in the Elderly, Behavioral Management for Dementia Patients, Understanding Psychotropic Medications and Present and Future Trends of Dementia Care. Continuing education credits are available to certain professionals. Registration for the half-day conference is $65. The full-day conference registration fee is $125 per person. Interested individuals can call 1-800-457-5679 for further information.