As a workshop presenter, with more than 20 years of experience related to eldercare topics, I:

• Am highly flexible as to times and locations
• Enjoy being used as a marketing tool in providing entertaining education to consumers and/or their families
• Believe in interactive presentations where attendees learn by doing
• Provide dozens of resources and hands-on experience using many of them

The topics I especially enjoy speaking on are related to my writing and can be adapted for your specific needs:

Brain Aerobics – I most often offer this course in two versions, (length from 1 to 3.5 hours) with ultimately similar content. The first is "Brain Aerobics for the Stressed Mind," which focuses on my Ha-ha, Ah-ha, and Aaaahhh philosophy. (Laugh and have fun because relaxed learners learn more, foster curiosity to learn something new, and get lost in the pleasure of doing something you enjoy.) The second topic, "Spontaneous Brain Aerobics that Anyone Can Lead," like the first, features a variety of interactive exercises that can be done with minimum props and preparation. It includes logic and trivia quizzes, word puzzles, imaginative and visual perception exercises, and exposure to a variety of products. Depending on time allotted, both also offer an interest survey, a humor survey, hands-on experiences and a lengthy resource list. The first emphasizes fun and relaxation for its own sake; the second, how to inject easy-going fun to enliven any day. A dementia-specific version is also available.

Getting to Know You– I am the author of the book Getting to Know the Life Stories of Older Adults: Activities for Building Relationships from Health Professions Press. Click here to order. This interactive presentation is based on exercises in the book that emphasize connecting with one another by having fun together, and sharing our stories, values and opinions.

Creative Training Techniques for Elder Care This interactive course teaches multiple ways of painlessly ingraining your key training points through games, exercises, puzzles, and optical illusions. In twenty years of curriculum development, I have been constantly called upon to find ways of making elder care courses engaging and memorable. Too often people are told, "Just do your best." That doesn't build staff confidence or have the desired effect on elder care unless they know WHAT to do. You know the "what" that you want to train staff to do; I’ll teach you how to make your training memorable. For a sampling, order the downloadable "22 Creative Training Tips to Use Instantly" from our store.

Alzheimer’s disease and dementia topics – My passion for writing and training about dementia evolved from 10 years as a hands-on caregiver for my mother who died of Alzheimer’s disease. I continue to be most interested in helping staff and families understand how to communicate more effectively by understanding the behavior of people with dementia that is based on specific damage to their brains. Please tell me what your training needs are by contacting me at 1-800-999-0795 or emailing me at Kathy@WiserNow.com.

Building relationships is the purpose of everything I do, and how to build them is the ultimate focus of all my training and presentations.