AZLA Annual Conference
2018 Program Book
Dementia Friendly Libraries
Program Description:
The number of people in Arizona affected by Alzheimer's or a related dementia is expected to increase in the next 8 years by nearly 43% to roughly 200,000. Libraries can play an essential role in the lives of those who are affected by this chronic condition and their family members by providing access to resources, services, and programs for this too often forgotten group of people. Dementia Friendly Communities have become a national movement since 2015 and Tempe, Arizona is the first and only Dementia Friendly city in Arizona. Since 2016, the Tempe Public Library, in partnership with the Banner Alzheimer's Institute, has played a pivotal role hosting a weekly "Memory Cafe" that brings together people living with dementia and their care partners to join together for fun, education and needed support. Find out more about this innovative program as well as examples of what other libraries across the country are doing to improve the quality of life for those living with dementia. Attendees will learn how to recognize a patron who might be struggling with dementia along with communication techniques to help them feel more comfortable and successful. Tools will be provided to help libraries to become "Dementia Friendly" and their staff to become "Dementia Friends".
Presenters:
Mary Beth Riedner
Membership Chair, Alzheimer's & Related Dementias Interest Group/ASGLA/ALA
Mary Beth Riedner resigned from her position as University Librarian for Roosevelt University in Chicago, IL in 2008 to care for her husband with a young-onset dementia. She then developed an award winning book and reading program for people living with dementia called Tales & Travel Memories. The program is currently offered at libraries across the country, most notably the Gail Borden Public Library, Elgin IL. She has also served in leadership positions for the American Library Association’s Interest Group for Alzheimer’s & Related Dementias (IGARD) for the past five years and is involved in the Dementia Friendly America initiative.
Jan Dougherty, MS, RN, FAAN
Jan Dougherty is a known nursing expert and leader in dementia care crafting innovative programs to support people living with dementia and their family caregivers across the care continuum. For over 2 decades, Jan has pioneered unique dementia programs being used in Arizona, nationally and internationally. Most recently, Jan has been on the forefront of the Dementia Friendly Community movement making Tempe, Arizona, the first Dementia Friendly Community in Arizona. Jan completed her BSN from Valparaiso University and her MS in Gerontological Nursing from the University of Arizona. Jan works as a Special Projects Consultant with Banner Alzheimer’s Institute and as the Dementia Fellowship Director with Hospice of the Valley in Phoenix, Arizona.
Links:
Alzheimer’s & Related Dementias Interest Group (IGARD)/Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA/American Library Association (ALA) - http://www.ala.org/ascla/interestgroups/igard
Dementia Friendly America - http://www.dfamerica.org/
Dementia Friendly America Library Sector Guide - https://static1.squarespace.com/static/559c4229e4b0482682e8df9b/t/59aea94dbebafb5b8696e744/1504618830040/DFA-SectorGuide-Library+8.9.17.pdf
Dementia Friendly Tempe - https://www.tempe.gov/city-hall/human-services/older-adults/dementia-friendly-tempe
Guidelines for Library Services to Persons with Dementia. International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions - http://www.ifla.org/files/assets/hq/publications/professional-report/104.pdf
Tales and Travel Memories - http://talesandtravelmemories.com