Info Session: MEETING ALZHEIMER'S: A Hope Filled and Inspiring Workshop for Caregivers

Bryn Du Mansion

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Discover how persons with Alzheimer's disease reveal to us the true value of life - theirs and ours, in this free session in advance of a full program MEETING ALZHEIMER'S: A Hope Filled and Inspiring Workshop for Caregivers to be held November 12 at Centenary Methodist Church in Granville.

You will receive an introduction….

• about the disease & its behavioral changes
• toward adopting an attitude of affirmation and acceptance
• in ways to reduce conflict and stress
• on how to have a meaningful relationship
• on how our loved ones make a positive difference in our lives

Presented by Reverend Deacon Mary Raysa

The Reverend Deacon Mary Raysa of Granville's St Luke's Church, and educator with Healing Moments, an Alzheimer's and dementia education and advocacy organization, brings her personal experience of traveling the Alzheimer's journey with her father and brother along with her years of professional training in caregiving to this unique presentation.

Mary’s call to serve those living with dementia and Alzheimers came when both her father and brother were diagnosed with the disease in the mid 1990’s. The realities of losing loved ones to the disease brought anger and confusion until one day Mary walked into her father’s care facility and the ‘light bulb’ turned on: “my loved ones had lost the ability to speak and reason but had not lost their souls and their ability to feel and love. I realized then I needed to learn to step into their world, and learn how to communicate in a different way. How could I bring love, dignity, and hope into our relationship going forward?”

Mary’s professional teaching and coaching background at The Ohio State University brings teaching expertise to the Healing Moments Staff. Currently an ordained Deacon in the Diocese of Southern Ohio she has worked extensively with seniors in offering pastoral care to homebound individuals and those living with dementia in care facilities. She is a woman of faith who believes that Healing Moments offers new opportunities for people living with dementia and their loved ones by bringing hope and God’s eternal gifts of grace and love into one another’s lives.