Alzheimer's education classes offered

Manassas, Va. - The Alzheimer's Association, National Capital Area Chapter, Fairfax, will host free education classes for caregivers and people with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias in Manassas.

The chapter will launch a new education series --"Memory Matters and More" -- that will be presented monthly for the remainder of 2010 on Saturdays from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Manassas St. Thomas United Methodist Church, 8899 Sudley Road, Manassas.

The dates and topics are:

• Saturday "Healthy Brain Aging -- Your Memory Matters" where those attending can learn the latest information and approaches to continuing to stimulate your brain and overall health.

• May 8 "The Basics of Dementia" -- what is dementia, how to recognize it, and what diseases cause it?

• June 12 "Communicating with and Managing Behaviors of People Who Have Alzheimer's" -- how do you talk with someone who may not remember words, can't speak or doesn't seem to make sense when they speak? Discussion on various behaviors, different approaches and tips for handling them.

• July 10 "A Discussion about Legal and Finance Decisions" -- a session about legal, financial and other decisions that families dealing with Alzheimer's disease must face.

• August 14 "Ensuring the Safety of People Who Have Alzheimer's" -- Safety: What should you do in your home? How do you protect while still allowing independence: Techniques and issues will be discussed.

• Sept. 11 "Activities to Do with People Who Have Alzheimer's" -- even though a person with Alzheimer's disease may be losing some skills, there are many skills that last a long time. Learn about activities that can be done together.

• Oct. 9 "Late Stage Care" -- discuss options and decisions to be made in the last stages of the disease.

• Nov. 13 "Minimizing Holiday Stress Before, Not After" -- learn methods for recognizing stress and learn how to avoid creating situations where stress will occur for both a person with dementia and the caregivers.

• Dec. 11 "Caregiver Stress: Being Good to Yourself" -- caregiver stress runs extremely high. Learn ways to handle the stress and how to take some time for you.

For more information and/or to register call (703) 359-4440 or visit www.alz.org/nca.

Staff writer Bennie Scarton Jr. can be reached at (703) 369-6707.