ALPENA — The Alpena Senior Citizens Center is hosting a symposium, Transforming Dementia Care: Empowering through the SPECAL Approach, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, April 4 at Alpena Community College’s Granum Theatre.

This free symposium for families, caregivers, and professionals, presented by the senior center and Dementia Together, will provide information about caring for those living with dementia. It will feature educational sessions, practice of tools, and a discussion about compassion fatigue. Lunch will be provided at this program, which is made possible by the Michigan Health Endowment Fund. Registration is required at shorturl.at/UpjLf. Call the senior center if you have questions at 989-356-3585. This symposium meets continuing education credit requirements for social workers, nurses, police officers, and emergency medical technicians, and seating is limited.

“Use of the SPECAL Method can bring about immediate and sustainable improvements in the quality of life for the person living with dementia, along with everyone involved in their care,” according to a program description from the senior center.

The SPECAL Method has been shown to increase the person’s confidence and thereby slow the rate of deterioration, reduce the need for medication, enable the person to stay in their own home for significantly longer, and minimize the distress seen all too often during and after a transition to a different care setting.

“For this symposium, we are actually having our trainers that trained us to become coaches in the SPECAL Method, which is a new dementia model, coming to our area,” said Alpena Senior Citizens Center Director Annie Hepburn. “We have our trainer, Cyndy Luzinski, from Colorado. She will be doing the all-day presentation to the community, educating them on SPECAL, the three golden rules, the ‘we-relationship,’ compassion fatigue.”

“This is a program coming out of England,” said BJ Sander, program director at the senior center. “And the only state in the United States, right now, that is licensed to do anything with this program is Colorado, so what’s going to happen is Alpena, Michigan, is going to be next on the map, with a very cutting-edge program. I get so excited because it’s huge for Alpena to be able to have that program here.”

Hepburn said the SPECAL program helps both the caregiver and the person with dementia.

“It’s basically taking the medical terminology out of dementia,” Hepburn said. “It doesn’t matter what stage you’re in, in dementia, and it’s teaching you, using the photograph album, and three golden rules. So, it’s easier for the caregivers to learn how to work with the individuals with dementia. It makes their life, the person living with dementia, a lot easier because we’re not contradicting, we’re not asking them repetitive questions. We’re working with them, because they’re the expert.”

She said the SPECAL model is the best she’s seen in her training and experience with dementia programs.

“I’ve learned, over the years, many models, but this one is really easy to understand,” Hepburn said.

Hepburn and Sander are SPECAL coaches, and they are training to become practitioners.

“We’ll be able to work with caregivers one-on-one,” Hepburn said.

“Basically, what this program is doing for the person with dementia is giving them the dignity back into their life, that they deserve to have as they live out the rest of their life on their dementia journey,” Sander said. “It empowers the caregiver to have an easier way of working with the person with dementia, which, in turn, benefits the person with dementia.”

In addition to the April 4 symposium, the senior center regularly offers dementia programs and resources for both the caregiver and the person dealing with dementia.

You Are Not Alone Dementia Support group is offered twice a month for dementia caregivers or individuals with dementia. It offers a safe space for people to share their experiences, emotions, and coping strategies with others who understand first-hand what they’re going through. These groups provide practical advice, emotional support, and a sense of community. You Are Not Alone can play a vital role in providing some needed support.

Spark A Connection Memory Cafe is a welcoming, safe space where people living with dementia, Alzheimer’s, or other memory-related conditions, along with their caregivers, can gather for social interaction, support, and activities. This program is held at 1 p.m. on the second Wednesday of the month at the senior center.

REACH stands for Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer’s Caregiver Health in the Community. This is an evidence-based program designed to support caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia. The program includes an initial assessment and four individual sessions with a certified REACH Program Coach. Each session is an hour and focuses on specific topics. Sessions can be done in-person, over the phone, or virtually using a computer or tablet. Session 1 establishes rapport; stress is discussed, and a stress management technique is taught and practiced. In Session 2, education on dementia and strategies to address safety concerns are offered. Learning and practicing problem solving is the main focus of this session. After a review of problem solving, Session 3 focuses on positive thinking/mood management. Session 4 provides an opportunity for the coach and caregiver to work on additional concerns and to review the program and strategies to use in the future. A part of each session is the caregiver’s commitment to try strategies that have been discussed. If you are a family caregiver helping a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease or another type of dementia and are interested in working with one of the REACH coaches, this program is for you.

Hepburn encourages people to reach out if they need help.

“They don’t have to be alone,” Hepburn said. “We have resources, and we have listening ears.”

They offer books, pamphlets, and other dementia resources, as well as Miles for Memories bracelets free to residents of Alpena County.

If you have any questions or need to talk to someone, contact Sander or Hepburn at 989-356-3585.