Professional News

UK Elder Care Hosts 2019 Senior Caregiving Conference

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 17, 2019) — Caring for an older loved one — by itself — can be a daunting task. Many caregivers struggle with balancing their own professional and personal responsibilities and caring for an older loved one. Through its Elder Care services, University of Kentucky Human Resources offers resources to support employees in the workplace and at home.

UK Elder Care is here to offer support and guidance during the caregiving process. On Friday, Nov. 8, UK HR will host its fourth annual Senior Caregiving Conference at the Hilary J. Boone Center. The conference is made up of two events:

• A half-day Dementia Care Workshop featuring Kay Adams of Compassion Works. • A half-day Senior Resource Fair with 40 different vendors representing many different facets of elder care. A list of the participating vendors can be found here.

Dementia Care Workshop Dementia is a general term for a decline in mental ability, severe enough to interfere with daily life. Whether it be Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy body, vascular or frontotemporal, dementia is a unique disease that creates an unusual situation. Because the disease causes a progressive loss of mental capacity, the person with dementia gradually withdraws cognitively, emotionally and functionally from their loved one. It is a devastating disease, for both the person with dementia and their care partners.   

The half-day Dementia Care Workshop, "Making Sense of the Mess" will address the "mess" that can be part of caring for someone with dementia. The workshop explores the underlying grief and loss involved, empowering people to change their perspectives and understanding why self-care is not a selfish act, but an act of self-preservation.

Event Schedule 8 a.m.-8:30 a.m. - Registration and Light Breakfast 8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m. - Dementia Care Workshop, Session 1: "Understanding Dementia: What is it?" 9:30 a.m.-9:45 a.m. - Break 9:30 a.m. - Senior Resource Fair Opens 9:45 a.m.-10:45 a.m. - Dementia Care Workshop, Session 2: "Anticipatory Grief and Ambiguous Loss" 10:45 a.m.-11 a.m. - Break 11 a.m.-noon - Dementia Care Workshop, Session 3: "The Power of Perspective and Self-Care" 1:30 p.m. - Senior Resource Fair Closes

Register for the conference here. Learn more about UK Elder Care here. For questions about the event, please contact Terri Weber or Dana Cox.

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.