Yeah, we got 'em.
If you don't already hold the above face in caregiver awe, then your dementia journey is a lot harder than it needs to be. The woman, the wonder, the legend, Teepa Snow, uses her vast education and experience in dementia care to train professionals and family caregivers alike with empathy, humor, and practical strategies to ease the journey for everyone.
And she's coming to Oregon!
Oregon Care Partners presents Two Days of Teepa, a FREE educational and skills building event for Oregon professional and family caregivers.
The event is at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon, June 21 - 22, 2023,with registration opening on May 31, at 10am. Check out the event flyer for more information, and give yourself the gift of being seen and understood!
And if you don't believe she's a Dementia Super Star, try registering a couple of days late and see how far you get.
For those of you not lucky enough to be Oregonian caregivers, check out the Upcoming Events at the Positive Approach to Care website, her caregiver training company. There are a plethora of in-person and virtual opportunities to peruse, both free and paid events.
A new-to-me set of dementia super stars are the people behind the Caregiver Resource Center in Dubuque, Iowa. This is a newly constructed center for family and non-professional caregivers who are caring for individuals with a chronic illness. Its listed services include the basics like info and community resources, to support groups (in-person and online), a fantastic gym space free to caregiver as well as massages, social work consultation... the list goes on!
Beth and I toured the center while at the Julien Dubuque Int'l Film Festival and were instantly trying to scam free massages out of Jolene, the Center's director. She deftly outsmarted us (which, sadly, is not all that hard to do).
So, Iowans, you've got a good place to rest your caregiver worries. I hope you check it out.
Jolene and her super assistant, Natalie, keeping the Caregiver Resource Center super.
While we all can't be the GOAT of dementia caregiving, all of us are super stars in one way or another. Remember, Stephen Hawking said, "Half the battle is just showing up," and while most people think he meant showing up to solve big maths and mysteries, I'm pretty sure he was talking about his caregiver.
If you've got a Dementia Super Star to offer up, or a story about your own Dementia Super Stardom share in the comments below! We all need someone to sparkle harder when we're flailing around in the dark.
p.s. Back in 2019 I got to see Teepa in-person at an Oregon Care Partners conference. Believe me when I tell you she will be the biggest boost to your caregiving perspective. You can read about my brush with stardom here.