Caregivers of people with dementia have at least one thing in common: their lives are full of questions. The next Wyoming Dementia Together (WDT) program will feature experts offering advice on Wednesday, November 29.
WDT is a statewide, nonprofit caregiver network operating through the Wyoming Center on Aging (WyCOA) at the University of Wyoming. WDT meets via Zoom call every other Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. Programs feature guest speakers and allow interaction with those participating online.
It’s easy to feel alone in a caregiver’s journey, says Scott Veatch of Casper, a member of the WDT team since the group’s inception three years ago. He will lead the final discussion on the WyCOA-sponsored program. Veatch was caring for his wife, Mona, who died two years ago from Alzheimer’s disease.
“When Mona was first diagnosed in 2007, I had very little support. Here at Wyoming Dementia Together, we want to change that,” says Veatch. “Our goal is to use our individual experiences and talents to facilitate the caregiver journey. »
In the latest program, caregiver experts will answer questions on any relevant topic, such as nutrition, communication, help with dressing and toileting, as well as general questions about caring for a person with a diagnosis of dementia.
Caregivers throughout Wyoming and surrounding states have benefited from WDT programs. WDT includes dementia care professionals, licensed clinical social workers, a neuropsychologist, an occupational therapist, and caregivers themselves. WDT began meeting in fall 2020 and has been offering online programming help ever since.
For more information about signing up for Zoom calls and other free services offered by WDT, call WyCOA at (307) 766-2829 or email. wycoa@uwyo.edu.
For more information, visit the WDT Caregiver Network website.
