It is estimated that currently over 5.1 million people have some form of dementia. By the year 2030, it is anticipated that the number of older adults with mental and behavioral health problems will reach 7.7 million. It may be dementia, depression, anxiety disorders, hoarding and cluttering syndrome, or a host of other conditions that affect cognitive functioning. The more we learn, the more we can effectively respond to the emotional suffering, improve physical and mental health and create a better quality of life for older adults and their families. More than ever, research money, time and effort is being devoted to “healthy brain aging” and “brain fitness”. The more we discover, the more we can hope to control our cognitive destiny.

The Institute on Aging invites you to join us for this unique series of educational programs that are intended to give participants a better understanding of how to recognize and deal with these organic brain diseases and the mental health issues that affect the behavior and ultimately the quality of life of older adults.

November 15, 2007 — ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE AND OTHER DEMENTIAS: ADVANCES AND ISSUES 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM

LOCATION: The Event Center, Saint Mary’s Cathedral, 111 Gough at Geary, San Francisco

This program will review advances in research, diagnosis, techniques and treatments that could prevent, halt or reverse Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. The session will also share the pharmacological and behavioral interventions with persons affected by dementia as well as explore the caregiver and patient’s perspectives on dementia. Also shared will be information on how dementia affects diverse ethnic and racial communities.

Morning Plenary Session, 8:30 AM to Noon
Moderator: Tessa ten Tusscher, PhD, Vice President, Clinical Services, Institute on Aging

About Pacific Institute Presentations

Thursday, November 15, 2007 1:15-2:45 p.m.

Listening to the Language of Dementia by Nader R. Shabahangi, Ph. D.

This presentation will evaluate the prevalent view that our physical and psychological symptoms represent illnesses that we need to cure and remove. Could it be, for example, that the many forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s, are attempts to speak in a language yet unfamiliar to us? Could it be that more than a dis-ease for the person so afflicted, a person’s symptom represents a message of sorts?

From a longitudinal study and a clinical and phenomenological research of a population of older adults (60+) experiencing different degrees of dementia (including cerebro-vascular dementia, HIV dementia, and Alzheimer's) Pacific Institute questions the prevalent views on dementia and advance alternative paradigms and interventions to deal with this spread phenomena. By using an existential and process-work oriented approach we will advocate for a change in attitudes that design treatment for people with Dementia including Alzheimer’s

Dementia is a construct: a concept we fill with our own ideas, often pre-conceived by others. Those others might be medical people, psychologists, sociologists, or gerontologists. This presentation will take a look at current definitions and views of dementia, what effects these perceptions have on how we treat and care for patients with dementia, and how we can perhaps change our ideas going forward.

Modern medicine intends to alleviate and remove such disorders or diseases through treatments that eliminate as best as possible the symptom. In contrast, the idea here is that dementia and its manifestations point to a meaning for us humans that is our choice to understand more deeply rather than to eliminate. Since all viewpoints represent a part of an often multi-layered picture of a phenomenon, I will also refer to, wherever appropriate, the mainstream medical as well as psychological understandings of dementia here.

About Nader Shabahangi, Ph.D.

Nader received his doctorate from Stanford University. He is Chairman of the Board of Agesong, Inc, an assisted living development company. In 1991, Nader founded Pacific Institute, a nonprofit organization that offers counseling services, continuing education, and training to mental health professionals and interns. Nader is licensed by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences as a psychotherapist and is licensed by the California Contractors License Board as a general contractor. In 1994 he began the development of an innovative Gerontological Wellness Program in order to provide emotional support and mental health care services for the elderly. In 1997 he opened a residential care home for elders (RCFE) in San Francisco called Hayes Valley Care. Agesong, Inc. is currently developing another RCFE in San Francisco and continues to develop and refine its concept and practice of elder care.

Thursday, November 15, 2007 3:00-4:30 p.m.

Special Settings for Dementia Care: At-Home, Day Care, Residential Care, and other settings by Doris Bersing, Ph.D.

Doris will talk about the programs -designed by Pacific Institute and delivered through its Internship program- to create therapeutic environments and care for people with dementia in assisted living facilities. In a therapeutic environment people feel safe and supported in living all the different dimensions of who they are, from their joys and pleasures to their illnesses and frailties. Such an environment cares not only for the changing physical needs of residents but for their emotional, spiritual and psychological needs as well.

In particular the Forgetfulness (Dementia) Program takes an interdisciplinary approach to caring for people with different types of dementia, as the condition is commonly known. We prefer, however, to call our dementia program Forgetfulness Care, as it de-stigmatizes and depathologizes the symptoms of Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. Pacific Institute mental health interns work in concert with AgeSong caregivers to "see" and relate to the person rather than just to symptoms like forgetfulness and confusion.

The Pacific Institute Forgetfulness Program challenges the typical medical view of dementia as a disease or illness. Its program not only addresses the behavioral challenges, altered states of consciousness, confusion, and agitation of residents (which are only so from the point of view of mainstream normality), but also validates their responses to this new phase of their lives. At the root of this is our firm belief that there is nothing wrong with the resident's forgetting, confusion, or disorientation. The program also focuses on supporting family members and caregivers, and helping them to understand the new 'language of forgetfulness.'
This specialized care service addresses the different needs of our residents with forgetfulness symptoms.

About Doris Bersing, Ph.D.

Doris received her doctorate from L’Universite de Toulouse-Mirail in France. She is a clinical psychologist who has dedicated 27 years to teaching and providing clinical care for women. She has taught and led therapeutic groups and academic circles on several continents. Doris is also a faculty member in several San Francisco Bay Area graduate schools. She is the Executive Director for The Pacific Institute, a non-profit corporation founded to promote individual and community wellness while assisting elders to live meaningful lives. Pacific Institute teaches new perspectives on aging in the field of gerontology and aims to reestablish the role of eldership in our society.

2008 Program

January 24, 2008 - MENTAL ILLNESS AND AGING: DIFFICULT BEHAVIORS THAT CHALLENGE CAREGIVERS

March 13, 2008 - RECOGNIZING AND RESPONDING TO CLUTTER ADDICTION AND COMPULSIVE HOARDING IN OLDER ADULTS

May 15, 2008 - BRAIN HEALTH ACROSS THE LIFESPAN

More information to come.