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'Dementia Dialogues' recognizes 10,000th graduate
Jan Merling, left, honors Daisy Glover as the 10,000th
graduate of Dementia Dialogues.
August 2, 2013
The challenge of providing care to persons with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia is growing with the aging of America.
Thanks to a program begun in the Arnold School's Office for the Study of Aging, caregivers throughout the Palmetto State have the opportunity to learn about those challenges and the way to resolve them.
The program has been so successful that Jan Merling, coordinator of Dementia Dialogues, recently presented Daisy Glover with a certificate honoring her as the 10,000th graduate of the successful program.
Ms. Glover, a medical assistant/caregiver for Senior Matters in West Columbia, has worked at the agency for seven years and said that caring for geriatric patients and those with dementia brings special meaning to her life.
"I really love what I do. I believe that it is my job is to give them extra care and love at this time in their lives," she said. "It is a blessing to be able to care for those who need us."
Merling, the education coordinator for the Office for the Study of Aging, began Dementia Dialogues more than a decade ago to provide training for caregivers of dementia patients living in residential care facilities. Since then, the program has expanded to include almost 20,000 individuals and families who have become caregivers for loved ones, as well as law enforcement officers who increasingly find themselves working with persons with dementia who have become lost or victims of crime.
The award for Ms. Glover was presented at the end of a five-session training program in Columbia that graduated more than 50 people.
