Bridges® Partners with McLean Hospital for Dementia Education
February 17, 2022
Bridges® by EPOCH is partnering with McLean Hospital, a leader in psychiatric care, research and education, to provide expert education for those impacted by Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
Bridges® by EPOCH operates 11 dedicated memory care assisted living communities throughout New England. McLean Hospital is the largest psychiatric teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School.
These two organizations have joined forces for an upcoming Zoom session: Alzheimer’s and Healthy Brain Aging scheduled for Thursday, February 17, 2022 at 7 p.m. Anyone in the greater community who is caring for an individual with memory loss – or anyone interested in learning more about the disease – is invited to attend.
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, life drastically changed for everyone, but especially for family caregivers who found themselves at home without a support network to help care for their loved one. Bridges® by EPOCH immediately recognized the need to provide resources for these families and worked quickly to adapt its typical education and support offering to the Zoom online platform.
Since April of 2020, Bridges® by EPOCH communities have hosted over 45 dementia education sessions covering a variety of topics, over 70 support group sessions for both caregivers and those with early-stage memory loss, as well as a variety of other online offerings. Through these regular monthly Zoom sessions, Bridges® by EPOCH has been fortunate to be able to help hundreds of families throughout New England who are coping with the challenges of memory loss.
The session with McLean Hospital alone has generated over 600 registrants, with a mix of family caregivers and senior service professionals.
The majority of the education sessions and support groups are led by Alicia Seaver, EPOCH Senior Living’s Vice President of Memory Care Operations and Certified Memory Impairment Specialist. Her passion for helping those with memory loss for over 30 years shines through as she connects with family caregivers and makes a positive impact on those who are coping during a difficult time.
“Caring for a loved one with dementia is often fraught with stress, frustration, guilt and uncertainty,” says Seaver. “When the pandemic hit, it only heightened these emotions and daily challenges. We are honored to help ease the burden on family caregivers – even if that means just providing them the time to connect with others who understand their situation for an hour or two each month.”
To attend the Zoom event on Thursday, February 17 or for more information about how Bridges® by EPOCH supports family caregivers, contact Adele Pepin at 781.996.1032 or by email: apepin@epochsl.com.