Dementia workshop to focus on creativity, use of theater techniques
Thursday, March 26, 2015
MANHATTAN — "Sometimes Ya Gotta Laugh," a performance about the world of caregiving for those diagnosed with Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia, will be part of the Personhood and Dementia Workshop on Thursday, April 9, at the K-State Alumni Center.
The third annual workshop is sponsored by the Kansas State University Center on Aging, part of the College of Human Ecology.
The event, free and open to the public, will be 9 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 3 p.m.
The performance will feature Karen Stobbe and Mondy Carter who wrote about the laughter and tears of caregiving.
Stobbe is director of In the Moment, an organization that uses improvisation to help train caregivers as they deal with the effects of Alzheimer's and dementia on their loved ones. She has developed a six-week training program that uses creativity, improvisation and theater as training tools.
"More than 5 million Americans have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease," said Gayle Doll, director of the Center on Aging. "Caregivers of persons afflicted with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia struggle with ways to engage and be ‘present' with the ones they love. Our speakers will provide insights into these needs."
Also at the workshop, David Babcock, "The Knitting Runner," will teach his finger-knitting technique. He will draw an analogy with distance running and the journey of Alzheimer's disease in his talk while participants learn to knit with him.
Babcock broke the Guinness World Record for the longest scarf knitted while running a marathon in 2013. He runs to raise awareness and support for Alzheimer's research.
He is associate professor of art and design at the University of Central Missouri.
A panel of individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia will share their experiences.
More information is available at http://www.he.k-state.edu/aging/outreach/personhood-dementia or 785-532-5945.
The College of Human Ecology offers undergraduate secondary majors in gerontology and in long-term care administration, a Master of Science degree in gerontology and a graduate certificate in gerontology.
