Dementia Professionals Seminar on November 3rd

“Non-Pharmacologic Approaches for Managing and Preventing Challenging Dementia Behavioral Symptoms” will be offered as a free Cuyuna Area Connections seminar Thursday, Nov. 3, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Heartwood Senior Living Community in Crosby for long-term care professionals and other healthcare providers.

The seminar will be presented by Erin Bonitto of Gemini Consulting, a nationally known speaker, educator, and dementia communication coach. She has been a presenter at nearly 500 aging services and dementia care conferences. Bonitto had a career in healthcare beginning as a dietary aide and later earned a B.A. in Psychology, a M.S. in Gerontology, and an Activity Director Certification. She is the innovator of Life Enrichment Systems for Dementia, an education, programming, and skill coaching framework.

Bonitto will explore how to use non-pharmacologic approaches for challenging behavioral situations through real-world examples drawn from Skilled Nursing Home, Assisted Living, Memory Care, and Home Care settings. Topics will include dementia communication strategies, individualized programming, recognizing and minimizing triggers, and more. Participants can also explore ways to involve the whole team in behavioral detective work to answer the most critical question: “What important message is the person communicating through this behavior?”

Lunch will be provided at 11:45 a.m. Another session, “I Already Told You . . . Don’t You Remember?” will be from 1 to 3 p.m. for family members, caregivers, and anyone who wants to understand memory loss, dementia, and dementia communication.

Those attending should use the door to the right of Heartwood’s main entrance and wear a face mask. Registration is required by Monday, Oct. 31, by calling CRMC’s Social Work Department at 218-546-2357.