Live Zoom Workshops
Vicky takes a no nonsense, direct, yet caring and compassionate approach to help you understand dementia and how it effects you, your family or friendships.
Her mission is to improve and enrich the bio-psych-social and physical functioning of those living with dementia, depression, anxiety, stress, chronic pain, social isolation and grief through connectedness and experiential learning with meaningful evidenced based interventions. She is passionate about the LOVE Approach and wanting family and friends to gain the confidence and skills to support a family member at home. Vicky is a Certified Dementia Practitioner and also trained in the Trauma-Informed Practices of Expressive Arts Approaches to Self-Regulation and Stress Reduction.
Understanding Dementia and Alzheimers Disease Live Zoom Workshop Free!
Alzheimer's disease is the leading cause of dementia. So what is dementia? There are many causes of dementia so we will identify other causes such as vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia, and early on-set Alzheimers disease
Join me for this free and live 1 hour presentation! Space is limited so individual questions can be addressed.
Lunch time learning: July 17th 2024 at noon
or
Evening workshop July 24th, 2024 at 8:00pm EST
"No" Doesn't Always Mean No
People living with memory loss can lead a life of quality, but it requires a commitment from friends and families to learn and practice new communication skills. It is our job to speak to the person so they understand, feel understood, and stay connected with others. This is designed for family and friends who love someone with memory loss.
Join me for this live 2 hour presentation! Space is limited so individual questions can be addressed.
Addressing Expressive Needs
When supporting someone with dementia related symptoms, a holistic approach is alway recommended as the first choice to decrease anxiety., boredom and loneliness. Learning strategies for engaging your loved one helps you stay connected and continue to share joyful moments.
Facilitated by Vicky Pitner, a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist who has been using Expressive Arts, (music, dance, visual arts, psychodrama, storytelling, poetry, journaling, therapeutic drumming, and mindful walking) for over 40 years in clinical and community settings to promote creative healing.
Join me for this fun, live 2 hour presentation! Space is limited so individual questions can be addressed.
Do I have Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)?
As we age, our thought processes can slow down and we may become a bit forgetful; misplacing our keys occasionally or forgetting why we walked into a room. This forgetfulness can be easily resolved by retracing our steps, or just taking a few minutes to recall where we left the keys or what we needed when we changed rooms. But memory lapses, memory loss, and losing things frequently is not part of the healthy aging.
Some adults do have more memory or thinking problems than others. This might include forgetting important appointments, misplacing items, forgetting to take important medications, or having trouble finding familiar words or names of familiar people. These type of changes in the brain can be symptoms of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). Movement difficulties and problems with the sense of smell have also been linked to MCI. MCI is defined by deficits in memory that do not significantly impact daily living.
Join me for this live 2 hour presentation! Space is limited so individual questions can be addressed.
Untangle Your Mind with Zentangles
Wouldn’t it be nice to relax, feel happy and focused with just a few stokes of a pen? Sound too good to be true? Come join me as we learn Zentagling, a meditative art form that creates overall well-being and has been shown to be helpful with pain management, managing anxiety, decreasing depression symptoms, and improving focus with someone living with a traumatic brain injury. The repetition, simple steps, and detailed patterns is also useful for those living with PTSD.
Please bring a fine tip marker or pen, several pieces of paper and colored pencils if you like.
Join me for this live 2 hour presentation! Space is limited so individual questions can be addressed.
Overcoming the stigma of dementia
Families and friends play a crucial role in the timing of a diagnosis that effects the outcome of the persons quality of life. Negative attitudes about a people living with a neurocognitive disorder such as dementia or Alzheimer's disease due to the lack of knowledge, prejudices, and discrimination evokes fear, shame, and delays a timely treatment approach. When faced with a "stigma" such as poverty, depression, or mental illness, the ability to "imagine" how a person thinks and feels, by putting themselves in the person shoe's, can be effective in reducing the beliefs of that stigma.
We believe that "imagined contact" can also influence how we perceive people living with dementia and Alzheimer's disease and reduce the stigma for the individual, family and friends, and encourage a healthier and more optimistic outcome for learning to live with a neurocognitive disorder.
Join me for this live 2 hour presentation! Space is limited so individual questions can be addressed.
My Friend Has Dementia
Maintaining your friendship with someone with dementia does not have to be difficult when you understand how dementia is affecting your friend and learn how to communicate with strategies to stay connected. Without friends, people with dementia run a risk of social isolation and loneliness and a visit from you could be the best part of their day (and yours)! Join me for this fun, 2 hour live session on the positive outcomes for both you and your friend. Space is limited so individual questions can be addressed.
Conversations without Conflict: What's in Your Communication Toolbox?
People living with memory loss can continue to lead a life of quality, but it requires a commitment from friends and families to learn and practice new communication skills. It is our job to speak to the person so they understand, feel understood, and stay connected with others. This is designed for family and friends who love someone with memory loss.
Join me for this fun, live 2 hour presentation! Space is limited so individual questions can be addressed.
Gatherings
Want to start a Gathering in your community? This session provides information to begin a group for families, friends, and the person with dementia to gather for support and to have fun! A Gathering addresses the social, physical, cognitive, and expressive needs in a safe and engaging environment.