Journey to Hope – DC

Saturday, May 4, 2024

11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

555 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC

 Are you caring for a family member or friend who has Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia? Feeling uneasy, under-informed or overwhelmed? Has the length of the pandemic made things more challenging? Let us help!

The Sibley Senior Association invites you to the 9^th annual Journey to Hope – DC Conference for Alzheimer’s Family Care Partners.

We are delighted to announce this year’s conference will be in person. This is a free conference for care partners. Join us to learn more about Alzheimer’s disease, how to be a better care partner, and the importance of self-care. Learn tips to create better days for you and your loved one.  Meet other care partners to learn and share new ways of coping and caring for yourself and your loved one.  Light refreshments will be served.

Understanding Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementia 

Marti Brown Bailey. B.S., C.S.A., C.D.P., C.A.D.D.C.T, Interim Director, of Community Affairs, Director of the Sibley Senior Association and Community Health 

Having a Good Day – What does that look like

What does it take to have a good day as a Care Partner for a loved one living with dementia? We will offer tips on communication, understanding behaviors and having purposeful things to do during the day. We promise you will walk away with new tools to use every day.

Karen  Stobbe and Mondy Carter

Karen Stobbe switched her career from theater and improvisation to healthcare when her father, Manfred, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Since then, she has served the Director of Education for Pioneer Network, written over 12 training programs, and spoken all over North America. Karen is the co-creator of the Hand in Hand Training program for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which was distributed to every nursing home in the country.

Mondy Carter has worked as a commercial and stage actor for 30 years and now he has been animating videos. He has produced over 200 videos for trainings. Mondy has directed and served as lead videographer & editor on projects as well as voice actor and live actor. Karen and Mondy were featured in Real Simple magazine, NPR’s This American, Life and performed a National TEDMED Talk.

 Karen’s mother, Virginia, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s a year after her father died. Virginia lived with Karen and Mondy for 11 years. Karen and Mondy have been married for 26 years and live in Black Mountain, North Carolina with their 5 furry friend 

Improve with Improv  (attendees will be invited to participate with improv prompts)

Why not meet your loved one exactly where they are? Correcting someone’s reality may end up in an argument. Improvisation has guidelines to help you learn to be a better performer. They are parallel to how to be a good care partner. Guidelines such as; Yes And…, Go With the Flow and Listen Fully. Karen and Monday will facilitate each guideline and show you how to apply it to your daily life. 

Learning to Care for Yourself while Caring for Someone Else

 Jane Van De Velde, DNP, RN

 Being a care partner for someone who is living with cognitive decline is challenging and practicing self-care is imperative to your health and well-being. Emotional healing is part of that care to bring peace and balance into your life.  You will learn some simple tools and practices that you can use to support your own “emotional healing” on a daily basis.  When you are feeling depressed, sad, angry, or anxious, these practices may help you to feel relaxed, calmer, more grounded and balanced. You will have the opportunity to both learn and practice these techniques during this session. 

Jane Van De Velde, DNP, RN is a Reiki Master Practitioner and Teacher with twenty years of experience.  Her professional background is in community-based nursing with emphasis in homecare and hospice.   Jane received her Doctor of Nursing Practice from Rush University in Chicago. Jane incorporates her nursing skills, knowledge, and expertise into her Reiki practice with the primary goal of bringing Reiki programs into health care systems and community-based organizations.  She founded The Reiki Share Project (TRSP) in 2009, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to teach Reiki to individuals dealing with serious and chronic illnesses. Through The Reiki Share Project, Jane has worked extensively in the cancer community offering Reiki sessions, presentations, and classes to participants at cancer support centers in the Chicago area. Jane is on staff at the Integrative Medicine Clinic for Endeavor Health. Jane co-authored two articles titled “Reiki: Defining a Healing Practice for Nursing”, and “Reiki, Nursing, and Healthcare”, published in Nursing Clinics of North America (December 2020).

Light refreshments will be served. Door prizes will be awarded during the conference – must be present to win.

Register at

https://smh.memberclicks.net/2024JourneyToHopeDCSSA

   or email [email protected] or call the Sibley Senior Association office 202-364-7602 before May 1.