Interdisciplinary Community-Based Support for Caregivers of Individuals Living with Dementia

Evidence indicates family caregivers of individuals living with dementia (ILwD) are at risk for diminished physical and mental health; which may decrease their quality of life and directly impact their ability to provide care. An interdisciplinary approach to self-care and skill-building for caregivers is provided in a virtual support group offered by Council on Aging in Sonoma County, CA. As part of the nonprofit’s Adult Day Program, the group is offered to client caregivers and has two goals: First, creating a community-based, long-term support system for ILwD who are aging-in-place; second, fostering a safe and supportive community for family caregivers, by providing opportunities to collaborate with peers and an interdisciplinary team that includes a Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT), an Occupational Therapist (OT), and a Recreation Therapist (the day program manager). The closed group model established through eight weekly sessions builds trusting relationships in a frame that combines: the OT client-centered and collaborative approach to problem-solving everyday challenges of caregiving, the MFT skills of creating a safe space for discussion and deeper exploration, and program staff insights regarding the ILwD’s current interests and abilities exhibited during Day Program activities. Sessions include an emotional check-in by group members; a brief overview of best-practices and common caregiving concerns related to a weekly topic; and an opportunity for caregivers to explore the integration of best-practices into daily routines, while also attending to their well-being as caregivers. Program evaluation and results related to the program’s effectiveness and implications for scalability will be discussed.

How do you build your care team?

No one person can manage the demands of dementia alone. Building a strong care team early following a diagnosis is critical to your wellbeing and to providing your loved one with the best care. By reaching out to family, friends, neighbors, and professional caregivers, you can limit your burden, reduce your feelings of isolation, and create a healthier environment for you and your loved one. Your loved one’s doctor should be a source of help as well. Support groups can provide you with information and important skills in addition to emotional support. Whether as a day program or overnight stay, respite care may be an invaluable resource for you. National organizations dedicated to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia can also be an invaluable resource.

A Novel Boot Camp Program to Help Guide Personalized Exercise in People with Parkinson Disease

Given the variety of exercise programs available for people with Parkinson’s disease (PD), such individuals may struggle to make decisions about what exercise to perform. The objective of this study was to assess the usefulness, satisfaction, and preferences regarding participation in a PD-personalized educational and exercise boot camp program. Attendees participated in a four-day program consisting of exercise sessions, workshops, and social activities. We collected demographic and clinical information. We assessed satisfaction and preferences immediately after. At one-month follow-up, participants assessed usefulness and changes in exercise habits. Eight individuals diagnosed with PD, with a mean age of 59.5 ± 6.8 years, participated. All participants felt “very satisfied” and likely to attend future events. The two favorite sessions were: cognitive stepping and dance-based movements. At one-month follow-up, participants considered the program “very useful” and reported changes in their exercise routine. Our results suggest that the boot camp program was considered useful and capable of influencing participants’ exercise habits.

Successful Smoking Cessation among Women Smokers Based on Utilizing National Smoking Cessation Service Type in Korea

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the successful smoking cessation across different national smoking cessation services. Methods: This study included data that had been previously entered into the integrated information system for smoking cessation services and comprised 144,688 participants after excluding missing data. These clinics provide face-to-face counseling, phone calls, text messages, and e-mail services for six months and nine sessions. Results: The women-only program had the lowest success rate (11.3%). Compared with the women-only program, the six-month success rate of smoking cessation clinic at public health centers (OR = 3.72, CI = [3.52, 3.92]), visiting-type smoking cessation clinics (OR = 2.97, CI = [2.79, 3.16]), the residential 4 -night 5-day program (OR = 7.79, CI = [6.49, 9.35]), and a program for inpatients (OR = 2.36, CI = [1.89, 2.94]) showed a significant increase. Conclusions: Emotional labor workers who participated in the women-only program had low smoking cessation success rates, while those who participated in the residential 4-night 5-day program had high success rates.

How do you build your care team?

No one person can manage the demands of dementia alone. Building a strong care team early following a diagnosis is critical to your wellbeing and to providing your loved one with the best care. By reaching out to family, friends, neighbors, and professional caregivers, you can limit your burden, reduce your feelings of isolation, and create a healthier environment for you and your loved one. Your loved one’s doctor should be a source of help as well. Support groups can provide you with information and important skills in addition to emotional support. Whether as a day program or overnight stay, respite care may be an invaluable resource for you. National organizations dedicated to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia can also be an invaluable resource.

برنامج الطلاقة بالعربية ستين يومابدار اللغة العربية

Darul Lughah Al Arabiyah is an institution focused on language training and language proficiency development. Darul Lughah Al Arabiyah offers many programs, one of which is a 60-day program fluent in Arabic. The 60-day fluent Arabic program is an intensive program in four or six hours of study per day from the first book to the third of the al-arabiyah baina yadaik books. The purpose of this research is to find out the learning process of the 60-day program fluently speaking Arabic. The research method used is a descriptive method. The data and information for this study was collected by interviewing with the director and teacher at Darul Lughah Al Arabiyah, then with live observation data during the learning process, finally by looking at the documents. And the results of this study, that the 60-day program fluently speaks Arabic using direct methods and its learning focuses on language training and development, and requirements when the arabic language learning process is done well and in accordance with the criteria of arabic language learning.