Dr. Virginia Templeton, MD, Director of MemoryCare in Asheville spoke to Deerfield residents at a recent event on campus. Ginna has committed most of the last 20 years to the care of dementia patients and families conflicted by the disease. She is internationally recognized for her work with dementia patients and caregiver direction. Ginna also serves on the Board of Directors for Deerfield. In appreciation, our residents held a silent auction and raffle with the proceeds being donated to MemoryCare.
MemoryCare is a local non-profit established in 2000 to meet the growing need for appropriate out-patient assessment, treatment and support for memory-impaired individuals and their families. Expert management by the caregivers can make a significant difference in the quality of life for the memory impaired individual. MemoryCare trains and helps equip caregivers with the tools to assist a loved one through this disease.
Dementia is a family disease. It impacts not only the person with the illness but the family as well. Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease or any other type of dementia requires a unique set of skills that need to adapt as the brain disorder progresses. MemoryCare’s mission is to provide the tools an individual will need to grow confident and competent in their role as caregiver through one-on-one “deep dives” into topic areas that have been requested by the caregiver and Caregiver College, a six module comprehensive course on caregiving for someone with dementia.
This summer, MemoryCare’s model will be presented at the Alzheimer’s Association’s International Conference in Chicago with data showing that when compared with published national norms for those with dementia, individuals seen at MemoryCare have lower hospitalization rates and less utilization of emergency rooms.