Workshop dates & Registration
For more information about Connecting the Dots classes and these workshops contact
Kay Adams at (303) 875-5508 or kay@kaymadams.com
If you have a large group, Kay can tailor a workshop for your needs.
Workshops involve a combination of educational content, rich story-telling, case scenarios, lecture, and active audience engagement. Kay’s extensive background in geriatrics, hospice, palliative care and mental health allows her to address the diverse and complex experiences of her clients and audiences in a very relatable way.
Known for bringing passion, integrity, humor, and a unique authenticity to her work, Kay can make often uncomfortable topics safe to explore for family and professional caregivers alike.
All workshops are facilitated by Kay Adams, licensed clinical social worker.
Words of Praise from Our Workshop Attendees
“Before another day goes by I want to know how your presentation has impacted me…
I am in a bridge group which has had two members suffer from the disease (of dementia) the past five years. I used some of your points of discussion as we talked about these ladies at our last bridge game. The subject seems to come up each time we meet. It is interesting to observe how anxious we become about the disease as we age. (Every time we forget who played the last card we wonder if we are next!)
You presented your information with so much knowledge, understanding, and compassion. I wish you could be cloned to present to many more groups. Although I have not experienced the disease personally in my family, as a hospice volunteer I know there there’ll be many opportunities to recall your insight.”
Jan S.— hospice volunteer and workshop attendee
Connecting the Dots Classes
Who
For family members and friends who are concerned about or caring for someone who is living with any form of dementia are for one client.
Length
2 1/2 hour long class
For More Information
Contact Kay to request a program for your organization
(303) 875-5508 or kay@kaymadams.com
Description
Connecting the Dots class is designed for family members and friends who are concerned about or caring for someone who is living with any form of dementia. A portion of class time is devoted to addressing specific questions and concerns that class members choose to bring up (for classes at least 2 hours long).
Depending on the identified audience need, the class can be a combination of support and education. This combined format is most effective if class size is limited to 15 people. If the goal of the class is more focused on education only, then there is no cap on class size.
This class supports you to:
- Understand brain changes caused by dementia
- Learn common signs of Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias
- Become familiar with community resources
- Find ways to cope with the stress and uncertainty of caregiving
- Become aware of the importance of planning for the future
Class length is typically 2 ½ hours long, but can be adapted to shorter time periods, as needed.
Workshop Attendees Words
“I want to give a sincere shout-out for Kay Adams. I participated her Connecting the Dots class after my partner had recently been diagnosed with early stage Alzheimer’s disease and we were devastated. The material Kay presented was invaluable. She provided the group with practical information that would help us better understand what was going on in our loved one’s brain.
Kay demonstrated a vast amount of knowledge from her years of experience working with individuals and families struggling with this devastating disease without soft pedaling any symptoms and behaviors we might experience in the coming years. It was very helpful and deeply appreciated.”
Lynn M.—Care Partner and Connecting the Dots class attendee
Programs for Organizations
Cultivating Competence and Compassion in Dementia Care: It’s More than What you Know, It’s How you Show It.
Who
Suitable for both family and professional care partners
Length
1-hour class
For More Information
Contact Kay to request a program for your organization
(303) 875-5508 or kay@kaymadams.com
Description
As dementia continues to rise in epidemic numbers, so too, does the challenge of providing competent care to those most impacted. It is therefore vital to understand the implications this disease has on grief, loss, and relationships, and how to compassionately support people living with dementia and their care partners. Being aware of the role that palliative care can play in supporting people living with dementia and their families is another important aspect that this workshop will address.
Wading in Emotional Quicksand: The Powerful Role of Anticipatory Grief and Ambiguous Loss in Dementia Care
Who
Suitable for both family and professional care partners
Length
1 or 3 hour workshops offered
For More Information
Contact Kay to request a program for your organization
(303) 875-5508 or kay@kaymadams.com
Description
This workshop delves into the world of anticipatory grief & ambiguous loss– what it looks like, what it is, and how it applies to providing care to people living with dementia. The workshop helps identify coping strategies to effectively deal with caregiving challenges, stages of grief, and common behavioral expressions and unmet needs of people living with dementia. It also explores ways to get out of emotional quicksand once you start sinking, with guidelines to help care partners not just survive, but thrive on their caregiving journeys.
Skeletons in the Closet: The Impact of Past Trauma on People Living with Dementia and Their Care Partners
Who
Most suitable for professional care partners.
Length
3-hour workshop
For More Information
Contact Kay to request a program for your organization
(303) 875-5508 or kay@kaymadams.com
Description
When family histories include past addiction, abuse, and trauma, care can be compromised for people living with dementia and their care partners. This workshop explores how early trauma may impact individual’s in later life through engaging stories, case studies and discussion, including strategies for counseling and reducing caregiver stress.
Timing is Everything: The importance of Advance Care Planning, Decisional Capacity, and Supporting People Living with Dementia and Their Families.
Who
Most suited for professional care partners, but could be adapted for family caregivers as well.
Length
1-hour workshop
For More Information
Contact Kay to request a program for your organization
(303) 875-5508 or kay@kaymadams.com
Description
This workshop addresses the critical importance of timing in Advance Care Planning when working with people living with dementia and their families. Advance care planning (ACP) is an ongoing process in which patients, their families, and their health care providers reflect on the patient’s goals, values, and beliefs, and discuss how they should inform current and future medical care.
Advance care planning is the vitally important process by which patients make decisions that can guide their future health care, if they become unable to speak for themselves. This program also reviews and describes the most common forms of dementias, builds skills for recognizing decision making capacity, and discusses the red flags involved in that process.
Making Sense of the Mess: Understanding the Grief of Dementia, and the Power of Perspective and Self-Care.
Who
Most suitable for professional care partners.
Length
3-hour workshop
For More Information
Contact Kay to request a program for your organization
(303) 875-5508 or kay@kaymadams.com
Description
This workshop addresses how caring for a person who is living with any kind of dementia inherently involves entering a world of uncertainty and grief. Doing so can feel chaotic, messy, and overwhelming for care partners. It’s hard to understand what is going on, what to do next, and how to effectively help someone with a brain disease that is ever-changing.
This workshop helps “make sense of the mess” that can come with caring for someone impacted by dementia by exploring the underlying grief and loss involved, by empowering people to change their perspectives, and by understanding why self-care is not a selfish act, but an act of self-preservation.
Is It Normal Aging or Dementia? What you Need to Know to Help.
Who
Suitable for both family and professional care partners and organizations.
Length
90-minute workshop
For More Information
Contact Kay to request a program for your organization
(303) 875-5508 or kay@kaymadams.com
Description
This workshop is appropriate for anyone who is interested in learning more about the difference between normal changes in our brains as we get older versus the red flags to watch out for when the brain changes may instead be related to dementia. It addresses:
- What dementia is and isn’t
- How dementia impacts the brain
- Supportive communication skills for working with people with dementia
- How your approach MATTERS and hands-on skills
- How to support caregivers and people living with dementia in your community
Dementia: What Most People Don’t Know, but Should
Who
Suitable for family and professional care partners and organizations.
Length
30-45-minute workshop
For More Information
Contact Kay to request a program for your organization
(303) 875-5508 or kay@kaymadams.com
Description
This workshop provides a brief overview of what dementia is and the most common kinds of dementias that impact the majority of people who have a dementia diagnosis. It discusses the role of anticipatory grief and ambiguous loss in dementia care, the profound impact that this disease can have on relationships, and how to support caregivers in your community.
Making Matters Worse: The Traumatic Impact of COVID-19 on People Living with Dementia and Their Care Partners
Who
Suitable for family and professional care partners and organizations.
Length
45-minute workshop
For More Information
Contact Kay to request a program for your organization
(303) 875-5508 or kay@kaymadams.com
Description
COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted people living with dementia and their family and professional care partners in countless ways since the pandemic began in 2020—both within care facilities and in the home environment. Learn about the roots of trauma and how trauma-informed care can help support people with dementia and their caregivers during a critical time when they need it most.
Dementia in Healthcare: What to Know, What to Do, and How to Help
Who
Suitable for professional care partners and organizations.
Length
1-hour workshop
For More Information
Contact Kay to request a program for your organization
(303) 875-5508 or kay@kaymadams.com
Description
This workshop provides an in-depth view of the most common brain changes that are caused by dementia and how they directly impact the person living with this challenging disease in terms of changes in memory, vision, communication, functional abilities, independence, and self-care. It also highlights the role of professionals in recognizing symptoms of dementia in the clients they care for and how to support family care partners in the home.
Ripple Effects: Navigating the Challenges of Dementia While Staying Afloat as a Care Partner
Who
Suitable for both family and professional care partners.
Length
90-minute workshop
For More Information
Contact Kay to request a program for your organization
(303) 875-5508 or kay@kaymadams.com
Description
This workshop is designed for anyone who is interested in learning more about the difference between normal aging and dementia. It will identify the most common forms of dementia, and shed light on how dementia can affect our brains, abilities, and influence our behavior. The program focuses on common emotional struggles that many care partners face, and how to cope with difficult feelings in a healthy fashion. It will additionally explore strategies to manage caregiver stress, as well as the art of accepting assistance from others so that you are not only able to take better care of your loved ones, but also of yourself.
Compassion Works, LLC enthusiastically engages care partners and organizations impacted by dementia through coaching, consulting, education and training, so they are empowered to effectively face challenges with confidence, clarity and connection.
