The Meeting of the Minds Dementia Conference was held on Saturday, March
1, 2014. It is the premier dementia conference for people with MCI or early dementia, families, friends and professionals. The conference is a collaboration between the Alzheimer’s Association Minnesota-North Dakota Chapter and Mayo Clinic, who work together to create a day designed to inform, equip and support persons with dementia, family caregivers and professionals. Every year national, regional and local presenters come together to ensure an innovative and insightful conference for the 1,300 participants and over 70 sponsors and exhibits.
This year, Matrix Home Health Care Specialists was on-hand to answer questions related to the home health care planning needs for those with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, including those with early-onset (also known as younger-onset) Alzheimer’s Disease.
Contrary to popular belief, Alzheimer’s is not just a disease of old age. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, “younger onset Alzheimer’s affects people younger than age 65. Many people with early onset are in their 40s and 50s. They have families, careers or are even caregivers themselves when Alzheimer’s disease strikes. In the United States, it is estimated that more than 200,000 people have early onset Alzheimer’s.”
“The ramifications of a diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer’s dramatically affects the type of care planning an individual with this diagnosis will need,” says Karen Lawrence, RN and owner of Matrix Home Health Care Specialists. “As individuals with early onset are often very active, and tend to remain so until late in their disease, planning for and finding appropriate care resources, family support services, and meeting unique socialization and activity needs is critical. We want to be there to support these individuals and provide information regarding the options available for them to consider,” she continues.
The conference was well attended and a great success!
