Jun 23, 2020
More Help for Caregivers: The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America Educating America Tour

It is very daunting when you first begin a caregiving journey, especially if your loved one has Alzheimer’s or dementia. One doesn’t know where to begin, and often  family caregivers find themselves in firefighting mode because the magnitude of a loved one’s problem isn’t always evident until something traumatic happens. That’s why this recent virtual conference from the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) was so important. Bert Brodsky, founder of #ALZFDN and family caregiver for his mother who had Alzheimer’s, has a very clear mission: “His goal was to make sure that no other family living with Alzheimer’s disease would have to go through the journey alone.” This conference, which we were honored to be part of, was to help and educate caregivers on key issues.. You can find the full recording here. The caregiving technology presentation beginning at video time 2:32:20 is given by our own Clairvoyant Networks CEO and Founder Stephen Popovich, who is also a family caregiver.

Dr. Mehmet Oz was guest speaker following the opening by Charles Fuschillo, President and CEO of AFA. Dr. Oz shared his family’s personal story of his mother Suna, who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease (his presentation starts at 00:10:00). The half-day webinar agenda also included presentations by:

• Dr. Allison Reiss, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine at NYU, Head of Inflammation Laboratory at NYU Northrop Hospital and AFA Advisory Board Member. 
• Amy C. O’Hara, a certified elder law attorney and Nancy Lorince, owner of a home care agency.

Finally, our company CEO & founder Steve Popovich wrapped it up with the importance of caregiving technology (presentation starts at 2:32:20). Those involved in the Alzheimer’s caregiving field already knew we were in trouble with a perfect storm: 

• a rapidly expanding older population as the Boomers age
• who want to stay in their homes
• who would only need more and more caregiving hours as they live longer
• a smaller and smaller pool of family AND professional caregivers to cover these care needs.

The only option that can help this situation is to apply technology to caregiving. Caregiving is typically done via human intervention and using technology is not common, both for the caregivers and/or the loved ones. The shift to telehealth has shown the usefulness, quality and necessity of using technology. And, as a bonus, care recipients have taken to using technology rapidly for both telehealth and keeping in touch with their families. 

Steve then provided a look at how technology could be applied to each stage of the Alzheimer’s or dementia journey, and which technologies are most useful. Usefulness includes how easy they are to install by regular folks like us! We also provided a handy guide to these products which is available here. 

We are very grateful for the opportunity to share our customer stories and “how to” with the attendees of the virtual event. And even more grateful for events like these where caregivers can gain knowledge of the many facets of caregiving, hopefully make it less intimidating, with help and support available.

Thank you, Alzheimer’s Foundation of America.