disentangleAD® Caregiver’s Conference

Hattiesburg Clinic is a proud sponsor of the Sixth Annual disentangleAD Caregiver’s Conference. This year’s conference will be hosted at Parkway Heights United Methodist Church, located at 2420 Hardy Street, in Hattiesburg. The conference will be held on Friday, Nov. 3, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. disentangleAD is a non-profit organization that supports the care of patients with Alzheimer’s disease located in the Pine Belt region of South Mississippi.

In addition to providing additional funding for caregivers of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementia syndromes, disentangleAD serves as an educational resource for caregivers. The organization was founded by Hattiesburg Clinic Neurologist Ronald Schwartz, MD, CPI.

“disentangleAD strives to be both an educational and a supportive organization for our community,” Schwartz said when asked why the disentangleAD Caregiver Conference is important for caregivers. “Individuals may find us as their initial contact for Alzheimer’s information and we can help steer them in the direction most appropriate for their care needs. Our caregiver conference has been well received as an educational resource targeting both individual care partners and professional caregivers. With over 30 sponsors and vendors attending, the meeting also offers an open forum for people to learn about the many organizations participating in the overall mission of Alzheimer’s care throughout the Pine Belt.”

This year the conference will host three sessions. The first focuses on new drug therapies for AD with Ronald L. Schwartz, MD, CPI, director of Hattiesburg Clinic Memory Center. Anne R. Carlew, PhD, a neuropsychologist with Generations Neuropsychology, LLC and Mississippi Methodist Rehabilitation Center, will lead the second session covering behavior changes in AD. Afterward, Lindsey Lewis, with PhD, iNGAGE Talent Development, will discuss practical lessons for caring for a person living with dementia. After a break for lunch, the conference will resume with a caregiver panel and questions.

Additionally, disentangleAD provides caregiver support outside of financial grants by offering caregivers access to an advisory council of dementia experts in the Pine Belt area. When a caregiver contacts disentangleAD with a problem, the concern is presented to the advisory council, and the member with the most experience in that area will call the caregiver to assist. This council includes memory care facility administrators, nurses, counselors, dementia trainers and past or current caregivers. Examples of education include the progression and changes of AD, long and short-term facility protocols, Medicare and Medicare waiver information, other local funding available, behavior modification tips, national resources available, understanding the legalities of elder care and different coping techniques.

Visit www.disentanglead.com to register, or call (601) 268-5620 for more information.