Event will offer expert help in understanding cognitive decline
Published 1:30 am Thursday, September 7, 2023
Islanders can learn more about the early signs of cognitive decline at an upcoming seminar presented by the Vashon Care Network.
The Care Network, an island nonprofit that provides resources to those who need care and those who give care, will present its Christine Jovanovich Memorial Seminar from 2-3:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17, at St. John Vianney Roman Catholic Church, 16100 115th Ave. SW.
The guest speaker is Robin VanHyning, MSN, RN, and CEO of Cornerstone Healthcare Training Company, which trains and certifies long-term care workers in Washington State.
VanHyning’s talk, “Speaking of Your Mind” … Understand the Many Manifestations of Dementia and Alzheimer’s,” will provide information and resources to help islanders understand the early signs of dementia, as well as tips on staying healthy and active while aging.
For over 30 years, VanHyning has worked in the field of geriatric nursing and healthcare education. Her professional experience with memory loss and cognitive changes in the aging process includes working with hundreds of clients living with cognitive loss, and consulting in the development and programming of memory care units.
Her personal experience includes being a caregiver for her mother during her journey with dementia for 23 years.
The talk is recommended for caregivers and health professionals, as well as family members and friends who have concerns about their loved ones.
Carol Spangler, a Vashon Care Network board member, said that she believes the talk is an important one, as too many people dismiss the signs of cognitive decline as a normal part of aging.
“I recently spoke with a dear friend whose husband has been getting lost on familiar roads, forgetting he just ate lunch, no longer able to manage their finances,” she said. “After several years of denial, he is finally having diagnostic tests to assess his cognitive decline.”
Separate surveys of Americans of all ages demonstrate that cognitive issues are commonly misconstrued as normal aging, she added.
The Christine Jovanovich Memorial Seminar is named for a visionary organizer who foresaw the island’s need, as an aging and ferry-dependent community, to establish better support systems for islanders to remain in their homes as they grew older.
Jovanovich, who died earlier this year, was instrumental in establishing Vashon’s Care Closet, a large and well-stocked free “lending library” of donated items that are necessary during convalescence — shower chairs, crutches, wheelchairs, walkers, knee scooters, hygiene products, hospital beds, and much more. The Care Closet is now located at the Vashon Lutheran Church.
The coalition of island caregivers that Jovanovich also helped cultivate has grown and is now served by the Vashon Care Network.
The seminar is free, and all are welcome. For more information about the seminar or Vashon Care Network, visit vashoncarenetwork.org.
