Living with Someone with Dementia: Finding Meaning and Hope

N0TE: This class is intended for non-paid, informal family caregivers of someone with memory loss issues. The class is not set up for care receivers.

This class will meet on WEDNESDAYS from May 20 - July 22 from 2:00pm - 3:30pm.

Finding Meaning and Hope is designed for full-time, part-time, or long-distance informal caregivers of loved ones with dementia or other conditions where the care recipient is physically present but psychologically absent. The term coined by Dr. Boss to describe this is “ambiguous loss.” It gives a name to the caregivers’ ongoing experience of loss and grief.

Finding Meaning and Hope is a new resource for informal caregivers developed by the agency Duet: Partners in Health and Aging. This free, 10-week video discussion series for informal caregivers is based on the book Loving Someone Who Has Dementia: How to Find Hope While Coping with Stress and Grief, by Pauline Boss, PhD. Dr. Boss is emeritus professor at the University of Minnesota, and was a visiting professor at Harvard Medical School, 1995-1996, and Hunter School of Social Work, 2004-2005.

The video series is the basis for structured weekly conversations led by a trained facilitator from the Pima Council on Aging (PCOA), Family Caregiver Support Program, to help equip caregivers with tools to reduce stress and build resilience. A 20-minute video with Dr. Boss and Family caregivers is shared at each class followed by discussion on the topic in the video. Here are the topics of what will be discussed.

Week 1 – The Ambiguous Loss of Dementia: How Absence and Presence Coexist

Week 2 – The Complications of Both Loss and Grief

Week 3 – Stress, Coping, and Resiliency

Week 4 – The Myth of Closure

Week 5 – The Psychological Family

Week 6 – Family Rituals, Celebrations, and Gatherings

Week 7 – Seven Guidelines for the Journey, Part I

Week 8 – Seven Guidelines for the Journey, Part II

Week 9 – Delicious Ambiguity

Week 10 – The Good-Enough Relationship