3:00pm | Eastern Daylight Time
Presented by: Matthew Janicki, PhD
Many organizations are seeing the aging of their clientele and their numbers increase, and concerns are growing about how to deal with age-associated effects evidenced with aging. One such age-associated condition, Alzheimer’s disease (and related dementias), affects a significant number of adults with Down syndrome (about 65% of adults age more than 60) and a proportional number of adults with other causes of intellectual disability (about 6% of adults age more than 60). Many at-risk adults live on their own or with friends, and many affected adults live in small community group homes or with their families. How to provide sound and responsive community care is becoming a challenge for agencies faced with an increasing number of such affected adults. This webinar covers key elements of dementia and how it affects adults with intellectual disabilities, provides a brief overview of screening and assessment strategies and methods, and examines ways that organizations can employ to adapt their current services to make them dementia capable. Specifically covered are the elements and types of dementia, as well its onset, duration and effect, and techniques for adapting environments, aiding with staff interactions and communication, as well as challenges to active and supportive programming. Models for supports depending on the stage of dementia are also discussed, as are training foci areas and community care models that provide for “dementia capable” supports and services. Special attention is given to the use of group homes as a viable community care model.
Matthew P. Janicki, Ph.D. is the co-chair of the US National Task Group on Intellectual Disabilities and Dementia Practices, research associate professor in the Department of Disability and Human Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Director for Technical Assistance for the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Developmental Disabilities and Health (RRTCDD) at the University.
Play recording (1 hr 4 min)