Garden Spot Village to Host Author Richard Taylor, Ph.D.

Retired psychologist diagnosed with dementia will speak to caregivers on living with Alzheimer’s disease.

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NEW HOLLAND, Pa. — May 4, 2009 — Richard Taylor, Ph.D., a retired psychologist and award-winning author of Alzheimer’s From the Inside Out, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s-type dementia in 2001 at the age of 58. He will speak about living with dementia on June 2 at Garden Spot Village, a continuing care retirement community at 433 S. Kinzer Ave. He will address the general public at 10 a.m. and health care professionals at 2:30 p.m.

“Dr. Taylor is a kindred spirit in his advocacy for people living with dementia,” said Jan Mills, director of community services for Garden Spot Village. “We can all learn from his insight and experience, and we look forward to his presentations here in our community.”

Alzheimer’s disease affects an estimated 5.3 million Americans of all ages, and nearly 10 million family members, friends or neighbors provide unpaid care for someone with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia, according to a recent report from the Alzheimer’s Association.

Taylor helped establish the Alzheimer’s Association’s Dementia Advisory Committee, and he received the 2009 John Mackey Award for Excellence in Dementia Care from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. A resident of Texas, he serves on the board of the Houston and Southeast Texas chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association and he has started more than 50 chat rooms for people with Alzheimer’s disease and their loved ones. On his website, Taylor says, “I have discovered that thinking, speaking and writing about what it is like for me to live with this condition has become the purpose of my life.”

Support for individuals with dementia and their caregivers
Dr. Taylor’s presentation is being sponsored by Adult Day Services at Garden Spot Village and Garden Spot Village At Home. On the retirement community’s campus, Adult Day Services at Garden Spot Village provides a stimulating, structured daytime program of one-on-one and group activities to help regular and occasional participants with cognitive and other challenges maintain their independence as long as possible. Garden Spot Village At Home extends in-home services such as personal care, companionship, housekeeping and meals to residents of the greater New Holland area. 

In addition to the services above, at Garden Spot Village, specially trained staff members provide individualized care for residents with Alzheimer’s disease and other related dementia in the community’s Laurel View Memory Support neighborhoods. Staff members work closely with the family to identify each resident’s needs, strengths, concerns and interests and then design a program to promote the individual’s independence.

Garden Spot Village also hosts a unique support group, called My Fellow Traveler, for individuals in the first stage of Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia. The group helps participants cope with the diagnosis and associated losses. Each month, the group addresses such topics as coping with change, reacting to limitations, talking to healthcare providers, staying hopeful, activities and the individual’s rights. Each meeting also provides an opportunity for participants to share their individual concerns.

“Living with the diagnosis means more than just loss of memory,” says Karen Horning, director of social services at Garden Spot Village. “For example, individuals may lose the freedom to drive or lose self esteem as they cope with the changing attitudes of others toward them.”

Dementia doesn’t just impact the individual with the diagnosis. Caring for someone with the disease can be difficult and the stress can affect the caregiver’s health. Respite Care at Garden Spot Village supports caregivers who need to take a vacation or take a break from their daily care routine. Garden Spot Village also hosts a monthly Caregivers Support Group to provide encouragement and guidance for caregivers. Co-sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association, the support group meets at 10 a.m. on the second Monday of each month in Garden Spot Village’s Concord Room.

“For caregivers who would like to attend but have concerns about leaving their loved one alone, we can arrange free respite care during the meeting through our Adult Day Services,” says Mills.

The 10 a.m. presentation by Richard Taylor to the general public on June 2 is free. There is a $20 fee to attend the 2:30 p.m. presentation for health care professionals.

For more information about Dr. Taylor’s lecture or about the Caregivers Support Group or free respite care during the meeting, contact Jan Mills, director of community services, at 717-355-6226 or JMills@gardenspotvillage.org.

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