New schedule format this year!

8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

Welcome

Joseph Gaugler, PhD

9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

Caring for People with Memory Loss: What’s Improv Got To Do With It?

Speaker: Steve Buechler, PhD, had a forty year career as a professor of sociology specializing in the study of women’s social movements, social movement theory and critical sociology. In 2016, he was diagnosed and successfully treated for acute myeloid leukemia. He then became a multi-faceted volunteer in the cancer community and a caregiver for his spouse living with cognitive impairment. Most recently, he has become a student and performer in the Twin Cities improv community.

Objectives: 

1. To describe the philosophy and principles of improvisation
2. To explore how improv can help us connect with people with memory loss
3. To do role play exercises on how to make these connections

10:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.

Break

10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

An Occupational Therapist’s Formula for Optimizing Dementia Care & Restoring Calm

Speaker: Ann Olson, OTR/L, has worked with older adults and their families for over 25 years as an occupational therapist and senior living consultant. She founded Sweet Basil Senior Care LLC in 2022 to directly address the needs of clients living with dementia and their families, a group she cares deeply about. Ann is the author of Making Peace with Dementia: An Occupational Therapist’s Formula for Optimizing Care and Restoring Calm.

Objectives: 

1. Increase insight into the changes seen in your loved one
2. Learn skills to tap into the knowledge you already have to create calm
3. Educate on practical strategies to side-step conflict and create more peaceful interactions
4. Share a formula to “master” dementia and feel more stable, competent and supported

11:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Break

11:30 a.m – 12:00 p.m.

Audience Break-Out Session

An opportunity for conference attendees to talk with each other. Virtual attendees will be offered the opportunity to meet in breakout rooms through Zoom. Discussion topic prompts will be provided to help spark conversations.

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Lunch

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Assistive Technology Support for Caregivers

Speaker: Megan Hunter, OTR/L, and Sue Redepenning, OTR/L, ATP, MN-AS, are occupational therapists with LiveLife Therapy Solutions, a Minnesota-based assistive technology provider serving individuals of all ages across the state. Megan specializes in implementing assistive technology for older adults and caregivers, focusing on improving independence and quality of life. Sue is the owner of LiveLife Therapy Solutions and leads a multidisciplinary team delivering assistive technology services through grants and Minnesota DHS home and community waivers. A certified assistive technology professional, Sue serves on the board of RESNA and presents locally and nationally on assistive technology.

Objectives:

1. Increase understanding of how Assistive Technology (AT)  can be used to relieve caregiver stress related to caring for a person with dementia across the progression of the disease.
2. Share ways AT can be used to ease dementia symptoms for the person to increase independence and safety at home.
3. Identify at least 4-5 different AT devices and explore how they can be implemented and used as an intervention for someone with dementia. 
4. Share about resources for covering the cost of the equipment.

2:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.

Break

2:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.

The Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model

Speaker: Amy House, C.D.P. LALD, is recognized in the Twin Cities as a leader in dementia care and education. Amy was a Director of Memory Cares in Assisted Living for 10 years and is now a Care Navigator for Tembo Health, and hosts a podcast called Think Dementia. Amy’s personal support, public speaking and professional training has touched the lives of thousands of people living with dementia over the past 10 years.

Objectives:

1. Describe the aims and purpose of the GUIDE Model
2. Share about program features of the GUIDE Model and its benefits
3. Explore caregiver experiences utilizing the GUIDE Model

3:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Presentation of Graphic Recording and Closing Remarks

Joseph Gaugler, PhD

University Avenue Parking Ramp

An adjacent 500-car ramp is connected by tunnel to the McNamara Alumni Center. Parking is $3.00 per hour with a daily maximum of $13.00. If the ramp is in event mode there will instead be a daily rate of $10.00, and no hourly rate. Once inside the parking ramp, take the East elevator to tunnel B or street level. The Alumni Center is the copper building adjacent to the ramp.

• McNamara Alumni Center parking map

CONSTRUCTION: Beginning April 1, University Avenue will be reduced to 1 lane in 1-block sections from 35W moving toward Oak Street. Please allow extra time when planning your drive to the McNamara Alumni Center. More info.

Directions to University Avenue Ramp, adjacent to Alumni Center

Ramp address: 1926 University Ave. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455

From the north, heading south on 35W

1. Take Exit #18, 4th St-University Ave exit
2. Cross 4th Street SE; turn left on University Ave
3. Stay in the right lane, drive 9 blocks to the University Ave Parking Ramp — located on the right side of the street

From the south, heading north on 35W

1. Take Exit #18, 4th St-University Ave exit
2. Turn right on University Ave
3. Stay in the right lane, drive 9 blocks to the University Ave Parking Ramp — located on the right side of the street

From the east or west on I-94

1. Take Exit #235B, University of Minnesota/Huron Boulevard
2. Follow Huron Boulevard one block and turn left onto Fulton St (1st stop light)
3. Drive 3 blocks and turn right onto Oak St
4. Follow Oak St past the Alumni Center (on the left) and cross over University Ave.
5. Oak St will curve to the left and turn into 4th Street
6. Turn left at the first available street (18th Ave, 17th Ave or 16th Ave)
7. Drive 1 block and turn left onto University Ave
8. Immediately get into the right lane and turn right into the University Ave Parking Ramp

Other ramps if needed:

• Oak Street Ramp: 401 Oak St SE Minneapolis, MN 55455
• Washington Ave Ramp: 501 Washington Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455

Metro Transit- Green Line: 

The Green line stops a short block from the McNamara Alumni Center at the East Bank Station. It is on Washington Avenue across from the Graduate Minneapolis hotel. For specific route and schedule information visit www.metrotransit.org

Continuing Education Credits

Participants who register and pay for CEU credits will receive a certificate of completion at the end of the conference. In-person attendees must stay for the entirety of the conference to receive the certificate. Zoom attendees will be required to take and pass a brief CEU evaluation following the conference to receive the certificate.

Contact hours this event will provide:

• Minnesota Board of Nursing – 5.25 hrs
• Minnesota Board of Social Work – 5.25 hrs
• BELTSS (LNHA,LALD, and HSE) – 5.25 hrs

For any regulating body not listed above, participants may self-submit their certificate for individual approval. The cost is $50 to receive CEUs per discipline.

Refund Policy

For those unable to attend the conference, to receive a refund for purchased CEU credits you must used the payment portal to cancel your registration and CEU payment. Canceled registrations and refunds must be submitted and processed 2 weeks before the event date. If you have questions regarding CEUs please email CPWML@umn.edu.

Joseph E. Gaugler, PhD, Robert L. Kane Endowed Chair in Long-Term Care and Aging & Distinguished McKnight University Professor, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota. Dr. Gaugler’s research focuses on Alzheimer’s disease, family caregiving, and long-term care.

The following members of the Families and LTC Projects team also helped to organize the Caring for People with Memory Loss Conference: Robyn Birkeland, Ph.D. and Ashley Millenbah, MPH.

Teresa Schicker, MPA, with the Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) has also provided organization and planning support to make the Conference possible.

As Dr. Gaugler’s research program continues to grow, he would like to ask you to take a few minutes and consider being a part of the University of Minnesota Caregiver Registry. Becoming part of the registry does not enroll you in any study, but it provides Dr. Gaugler with permission to contact you in the future about any upcoming opportunities to participate in his research as well other basic information. Filling out the University of Minnesota Caregiver Registry form should not take more than 5 minutes. If you have already done this for us and nothing has changed since you filled it out, there is no need to fill out another form. However, if something has changed since you last filled out a Registry form, please feel free to fill out a new form:

• If you are a family member or friend who knows someone with memory loss or is helping them, please fill out the University of Minnesota Caregiver Registry-Family form.

• If you are a professional who cares for persons with memory loss or their families, please fill out the University of Minnesota Caregiver Registry-Professional form.

This conference is part of the Minnesota Northstar Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP), which is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government. Additional funding for the Minnesota Northstar GWEP is provided by a gracious gift from the Otto Bremer Trust. The Minnesota Northstar GWEP is also supported by the University of Minnesota Office of Academic Clinical Affairs.

Exhibitors will be available on-site at the conference, providing the opportunity to engage with community members and offer information and resources. Interested in exhibiting? Contact cpwml@umn.edu.

The Caring for People with Memory Loss conference is now accepting donations! All donations are tax-deductible, and all proceeds will be used for the support of conference activities.

Donations can be made online: Dementia Caregiver Education Fund

Donations can also be made by check. Please address to The University of Minnesota Foundation, “For” the “CPWML conference” and mail to Attn: Dr. J. Gaugler, D351 Mayo (MMC729), 420 Delaware St SE, Minneapolis MN 55455.

Thank you for your support!

Sue and Joe Weisenburger have navigated many stages of caregiving as Sue’s grandmother, mother, and her mother’s siblings all faced Alzheimer’s. They began by supporting Sue’s mom, Maria, through her grief and her siblings’ diagnoses. When Maria showed symptoms, Sue and Joe became long-distance caregivers, coordinating visits and support in Chicago. Eventually, Maria moved to Minnesota to live with them. Balancing full-time caregiving with work, they found new doctors and community support. When Maria moved to Memory Care, Sue and Joe continued to manage her care with the staff until she passed away in 2020 from Alzheimer’s and Covid.

Grateful for the support they received, Joe and Sue started this fund to assist in hosting the annual Caring for Persons with Memory Loss conference, providing a vital resource for caregivers.

Philanthropy is a vital source of funding that allows us to provide this conference, and advance innovation, advocacy, and support for caregivers. Thank you for considering supporting this fund to keep conferences like this available and resources to support caregivers and their families. 

Past Conference Presentations

• View the 2025 conference (YouTube)
• View the 2024 conference (YouTube)
• View the 2023 conference (YouTube)
• View the 2022 conference (YouTube)
• View the 2021 conference (YouTube)
• View the 2019 conference (Youtube)
• View the 2018 conference (YouTube)
• View the 2017 conference (YouTube)
• View the 2016 conference (YouTube)

If you would like to revisit the information presented in this or past Caring for People with Memory Loss conferences, please visit our virtual conference library. There you will find PowerPoint slides and handouts of each presentation, information on how to access recorded presentations, speaker contact information and other resources from past conferences. We have held Caring for People with Memory Loss conferences since Spring 2008, and there is a lot of great, free information in the virtual library for you, your family members, or clients!

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