Mary Ellen McNish spent more than a decade “yelling constantly” at her husband, whose cognitive impairment drove her to “my wit’s end.”
“He went from being a Ph.D. economist to having difficulty figuring things out. It’s been a loss of inches,” she told The Philadelphia Inquirer.
But then she discovered the Penn Memory Center’s six-week psycho-educational class for people caring for loved ones with dementia.
Caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia may experience feelings of sadness, anger, confusion, hopelessness, or frustration. This course is designed help caregivers develop skills to better help their loved one – and themselves – cope with the many changes of living with dementia.
Unlike a typical support group, this course offers a unique six-week curriculum. While participants will learn some specific techniques to better care for loved ones, this class stresses ways of coping with the personal and emotional challenges caregivers face.
The class “transformed” McNish, she said.
“The class also gave me ideas on how to take care of myself. There’s no other person who will take care of you but you – that’s my first job.”
For more information, please contact Felicia Greenfield at 215-614-1828 orfelicia.greenfield@uphs.upenn.edu