Explore an Afternoon of Awareness

Learning to Dance with Dementia: When to Lead, When to Follow and When to Get Out of the Way

The Episcopal Church of St. John in the Wilderness in Flat Rock will present a free workshop “Learning to Dance with Dementia: When to Lead, When to Follow and When to Get Out of the Way.” on Thursday, October 17 from 1pm until 4pm in the Parish Hall across the street from the church, located at 1905 Greenville Highway in Flat Rock.

Unlock the secrets to compassionate and effective dementia care at this workshop with Mary Donnelly, a dynamic dementia consultant followed by a panel discussion. This interactive session offers insight and strategies to help caregivers navigate the delicate balance of communicating with a person whose brain is changing. Discover how to harmonize your approach with the unique needs of the person in your care, fostering a more fulfilling less stressful caregiving experience. Join us to enhance your skills and learn how to dance gracefully through the challenges of dementia care.

“We are providing this afternoon program, because dementia is becoming so prevalent in society that we feel the need to educate our friends and neighbors” said Linda Giltner, an event organizer.

Dementia has and is touching so many of our loved ones. At the beginning we do not understand why they are not behaving or responding to us and situations as they had in the past. Then our question is, what is happening? We are trying to present information and ways to deal with this disease called DEMENTIA!

Another event organizer Ronnie Doty said, “I have been a fan of Mary Donnelly since attending Caregivers College at MemoryCare when my husband was diagnosed with dementia. Several years later when I’d been a caregiver for more than six years, I thought St. John would be the perfect place for her to share her wealth of wisdom. Caregiving is tiring and taxing and can begin to affect one’s health before we can become aware of it! I know Mary’s presentation will help caregivers think differently about living with someone with dementia.”

Limited seating is available for this seminar but participants must RSVP by visiting http://bit.ly/dancewithdementia. For more information call the church office at 828-693-9783.

More on the Presenter

Mary Donnelly is past Board President for MemoryCare, a nationally-recognized nonprofit clinic in Asheville. She founded and coordinates the MemoryCaregivers Network, writes a bi-monthly e-newsletter, Caregiver Network News, and is part of the teaching staff for their annual caregiver education series. She is the author of The MemoryCaregivers Collection, an anthology for MemoryCare. Mary is also on the staff of national dementia expert Teepa Snow, holding multiple roles as Trainer, Consultant, Mentor, and Speaker. Mary serves on the Steering Committee of Dementia Friendly Western North Carolina, a grassroots organization promoting dementia awareness and education. She facilitates five area support groups, provides family consulting across the country, offers on-site staff dementia training for long-term care facilities, and is a lively speaker on dementia-related issues.