WellMed Charitable Foundation

Tools for Managing the Transition from the Hospital or Skilled Rehab Facility to Home
2025-08-11 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Chicago)
This presentation will provide a basic overview of affordable and accessible products that will improve the comfort and safety of a home recovery. All products have been vetted by an Occupational Therapist of 13 years and tested in a variety of recoveries and home settings. **Sponsored by the North Central Texas Caregiver Teleconnection program**

Early Detection and Diagnosis of Dementia
2025-08-19 12:00 - 13:00
Recognizing the signs of dementia can lead to earlier interventions, better planning, and improved quality of life for individuals and their families. Join us and learn how recognize the signs and symptoms of dementia, distinguish it from normal aging, and understand various types and causes of memory loss. It emphasizes the importance of early and accurate diagnosis, explores available treatments and therapies, and offers communication strategies for families navigating difficult conversations.

¿Qué es el duelo anticipado?
2025-08-27 11:00 - 12:00
El duelo anticipado es el proceso por el que pasan algunas personas antes de que se dé el fallecimiento de un ser querido; se confirme su muerte o ante de una pérdida de algo. Enfrentarse a la realidad de que pronto llegará el momento es una de las aceptaciones más complejas para el cuidador.
El duelo anticipado no evita el dolor, pero puede ser una herramienta valiosa para prepararse emocionalmente, resolver asuntos pendientes y facilitar la transición hacia la nueva realidad después de la pérdida.

How to Mindfully Reduce Caregiver Stress
2025-08-28 11:00 - 12:00
Caregivers deal with stress every day. Research shows that mindfulness, the practice of accepting what is without judgment can lower psychological stress. In this class, you will discover mindful ways that are designed to help you let go, make healthy decisions, and easily reduce acquired levels of stress.

Ask Dr. Tam Questions
2025-09-03 10:00 - 11:00
What kind of questions do you have about dementia? As a caregiver, how do you survive the journey? Dr. Tam Cummings will cover quick stress relief tips and answer any questions you have about dementia. ** Sponsored by VITAS Healthcare**

La Agitación en la Demencia
2025-09-09 10:00 - 11:00
La agitación y los comportamientos asociados en la demencia presentan desafíos clínicos difíciles y agotadores para los cuidadores. Nestor H. Praderio, MD presentará el espectro de comportamientos y el deterioro progresivo de la función cognitiva de la agitación en la demencia. También explicará el diagnóstico diferencial de la agitación en la demencia y presentará las intervenciones clave para tratar y controlar estos comportamientos.

Medications and Aging: What Caregivers Need to Know
2025-09-11 10:00 - 11:00
Join Dear Lucy for a discussion on how medications affect older adults—especially those living with dementia or disabilities. Learn how to recognize potential risks such as increased confusion, disorientation, and falls, and discover practical strategies to manage medications safely. This session is designed to empower caregivers with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions about medication use.

Driving Cessation in Dementia: What Caregivers and Practitioners Need to Know
2025-09-17 12:00 - 13:00
Dr. Ercoli will discuss signs of dangerous driving in people with dementia, strategies for facilitating driver cessation, and laws pertaining to reporting dangerous drivers.

Frontotemporal Degeneration (FTD): Misdiagnosed and Misunderstood
2025-09-25 11:00 - 12:00
Join Zoy Kocian from the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration for an informative discussion on this often misdiagnosed and misunderstood disease. Learn how Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) differs from other types of dementia, explore its subtypes and symptoms, and discover the supports and services available to help families navigate the challenges of FTD.

Healthy Living for Your Brain and Body
2025-09-30 10:00 - 11:00
For centuries, we’ve known that the health of the brain and the body are connected. But now, science is able to provide insights into how to make lifestyle choices that may help you keep your brain and body healthy as you age. Join us to learn about research in the areas of diet and nutrition, exercise, cognitive activity and social engagement, and use hands-on tools to help you incorporate these recommendations into a plan for healthy aging.

Alzheimer’s and Dementia Research Update
2025-10-08 10:00 - 11:00
New treatments. New ideas on the root causes of these illnesses. How to enroll in clinical trials. This session will explore all the newest research and information in a way that is easy to understand for caregivers.

Comunicación compasiva y eficaz con una persona que vive con demencia
2025-10-14 10:00 - 11:00
Aprenda las mejores maneras de comunicarse con personas que viven con demencia. Hablaremos sobre cómo el lenguaje y la comprensión cambian debido a los efectos de la demencia, y cómo la comunicación no verbal y la terapia de validación son las formas más eficaces y compasivas de conectar con sus seres queridos.

Managing Physical and Emotional Expressions
2025-10-16 12:00 - 13:00
Caring for someone with dementia often means navigating unexpected behaviors like agitation, repetition, or aggression. These behavioral expressions are common—and often misunderstood—but with the right tools, they can be managed with compassion and confidence. In this program, you’ll learn why these behaviors occur and how to effectively prevent, redirect, and respond to them. This session offers practical, supportive strategies for families, caregivers, and professionals alike.

The Three Most Common Questions Caregivers Ask About Guilt
2025-10-21 11:00 - 12:00
Guilty feelings seem to be as natural to family caregiving as hard work and insurance forms. Even caregivers who have done everything right and nothing wrong are burdened with guilt. In this highly interactive webinar, psychologist Barry J. Jacobs, Psy.D., coauthor of the recently published book, The AARP Caregiver Answer Book, will share three of the most common questions that caregivers ask about guilt and will provide some possible answers. Participants will be asked to share their thoughts as well.

Shifting Perceptions, Steady Hearts: A Compassionate Look at Lewy Body Dementia
2025-10-23 13:00 - 14:00
Lewy body dementia (LBD) is often one of the least recognized and most misunderstood types of dementia—frequently misdiagnosed or mistaken for other neurological or psychiatric conditions. Individuals living with LBD face complex symptoms including hallucinations, movement changes, sleep disturbances, and fluctuating cognition that demand more nuanced care approaches – and their care partners are right there alongside them providing support.
This session dives into how dementia-sensitive practices can transform the experience of both those living with LBD and their care partners. Through education, storytelling, and advocacy, we’ll explore how stigma, miscommunication, and rushed assumptions can create barriers to person-centered care. This presentation encourages participants to rethink what compassionate dementia care looks like—fostering understanding, emotional safety, and dignity for all those impacted by Lewy body dementia.

Texas Guardianship: How to Avoid It and How to Prepare for It
2025-10-29 10:30 - 11:30
This program will provide you the information you need to stay in control of your life as you age. You can avoid a guardianship by preventing it. Karen Telschow Johnson will help us understand Texas Guardianship law to help us when needed and to prevent it too.
**Sponsored by the North Central Texas Caregiver Teleconnection program**

Ask Dr Tam Questions
2025-11-05 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-01-07 10:00 - 11:00
What kind of questions do you have about dementia? As a caregiver, how do you survive the journey? Dr. Tam Cummings will cover quick stress relief tips and answer any questions you have about dementia.** Sponsored by VITAS Healthcare**

Desafíos en el manejo de la demencia
2025-11-11 10:00 - 11:00
Su ser querido ha sido diagnosticado con demencia. ¿Ahora que? Las noticias devastadoras pueden ser abrumadoras y ciertamente confusas. Aprende que la demencia no es necesariamente la enfermedad de Alzheimer, hay muchos tipos de demencia. También descubrirá que manejar los desafíos médicos y conductuales asociados a la demencia es extremadamente estresante y desgarrador. Nestor H. Praderio, M.D. conducirá una discusión sobre algunos de los elementos clave con respecto a este tema, que incluyen:
-Cuestiones clave en el manejo de la demencia
-Abordar los episodios de crisis de comportamiento.
-Recomendaciones y recursos para cuidadores

Caregiving and the Holidays: From Stress to Success!
2025-11-18 10:00 - 11:00
Stop dreading the holiday season and learn to make it manageable, meaningful, and even joyful! The holidays often amplify the stress, resentment, and fatigue family caregivers already face, forcing a collision between unrealistic expectations and the reality of care needs. Join our webinar, “Caregiving and the Holidays: From Stress to Success!”, to gain actionable strategies for navigating this challenging time. You will learn how to redefine traditions, set clear boundaries with family, implement a proactive communication plan, and secure the respite you need to prevent burnout—ensuring you focus on meaningful connection instead of simply surviving the season. **Sponsored by the North Central Texas Caregiver Teleconnection**

Dear Lucy: Toileting, Incontinence and Dementia, what you need to know
2025-11-19 10:00 - 11:00
As people age, especially those living with dementia, changes in brain function can make using the toilet more difficult. Incontinence and accidents may become more frequent as the condition progresses, which can be distressing for both the individual and their caregiver. Join Dear Lucy as she explores why these changes occur and offers practical, compassionate strategies for caregivers to manage this sensitive issue with dignity and care.

Caring can be Rewarding, but Stressful: How to Build on the Positives
2025-12-03 10:00 - 11:00
Caregivers often feel like so much is out of their control, but that’s not always the case. This program will focus on the positive aspects of caregiving and ways to take control of what is possible.

“Making the Case for Music in Dementia Care”
2025-12-09 10:00 - 11:00
Join this practical, evidence-informed session on using favorite, personally meaningful music to improve daily life for older adults living with dementia. Attendees will learn the therapeutic value of favorite music and how to use it purposefully to achieve outcomes like calmer transitions, better mealtimes, lifted mood, and smoother sleep. It includes tools and techniques that make integration into care routines simple and safe, and how to evaluate impact with brief, low-burden measures, including cost-effectiveness and return on investment.

“Cómo disfrutar la Navidad en momentos difíciles”
2025-12-10 10:00 - 11:00
La Navidad puede seguir siendo especial, incluso si estás enfermo, eres adulto mayor o cuidas a alguien. Aprenderemos como vivir las emociones sin culpa, adaptar las celebraciones para que sean cómodas y sencillas, y como valorar los pequeños momentos.

The Holidays and Dementia: Tips for Making the Holidays More Enjoyable
2025-12-16 12:00 - 13:00
Join this educational program designed to help families and caregivers navigate the unique challenges that the holiday season can bring for people living with dementia. The program provides practical strategies for creating meaningful, low-stress celebrations, adapting traditions, managing expectations, and ensuring a safe and comforting environment. It focuses on maintaining connection, promoting well-being, and preserving the joy of the season for both the person with dementia and their loved ones.

Managing Guilt and the need for Self-Care
2026-01-08 10:00 - 11:00
Caregivers should be aware of feelings of guilt, as they can affect both their well-being and the quality of care they provide. Join Dear Lucy for an honest conversation about the guilt many caregivers experience, practical tips for coping, and why prioritizing self-care is essential.

Una guía como vivir con la enfermedad de Alzheimer
2026-01-13 10:00 - 11:00
El Dr. Néstor Praderio, M.D. realizará una presentación a fondo para los cuidadores de un ser querido con la enfermedad de Alzheimer. Conozca los numerosos roles que asumen los cuidadores a lo largo de las etapas de evolución de la enfermedad. Obtenga un mejor entendimiento sobre la enfermedad de Alzheimer y sus desafíos tanto desde la perspectiva del cuidador como del paciente.
El Dr. Praderio también discutirá consideraciones de planificación financiera y legal, revisará consejos y recomendaciones para un “hogar seguro” sobre cómo manejar las actividades diarias con su ser querido.

When Aging Parents Don’t Want to Receive Help
2026-01-20 11:00 - 12:00
It can be very frustrating for adult child caregivers when the parents they’d like to help refuse their care–especially when the parents’ safety is at risk. In this highly interactive conversation with psychologist Barry J. Jacobs, Psy.D., coauthor of The AARP Caregiver Answer Book, we’ll discuss why parents may not recognize that they need help and potential strategies for helping them receive care graciously. Case illustrations will be used throughout.

I Made a Promise
2026-01-28 10:00 - 11:00
This program is designed to support caregivers, particularly those caring for individuals with dementia, as they face emotionally difficult decisions that often contradict promises made earlier in their caregiving journey. These promises may include commitments such as “I’ll never put you in a nursing home” or “I’ll always take care of you myself.” Learn more about understanding the nature of promises, moral distress, guilt, shifting from promise to purpose, grief, and acceptance. The program includes practical techniques such as journaling, support group engagement, and guided discussions to help caregivers release guilt and develop emotional resilience. **Sponsored by the North Central Texas Caregiver Teleconnection program**

Managing Challenging Expressions in Dementia
2026-02-03 12:00 - 13:00
Challenging expressions in dementia are a form of communication—not “bad behavior.” This program helps caregivers understand the why behind these expressions and offers practical, compassionate strategies to respond with confidence and care. Ideal for family and professional caregivers seeking to reduce stress, strengthen connection, and improve quality of life for everyone involved.
