Dementia Education Inc.

You have probably heard by now of the passing of John Edward "Ed" Youngblood.

Ed was a remarkable person and I am honored to have spent 12 years with him, to become committed partners in life and work, to help me build our business Coping with Dementia.

In true "Ed" form he has said he did not want any kind of a service or memorial, which I am sure does not surprise most of his longtime friends. Ed did not like to be in the front of the camera or the limelight, but he preferred to be behind the scenes leading. I may do something in the future to honor him in a way that he would be okay with. But for now he has asked for any donations or memorials to go to Coping with Dementia or Dementia Education Inc, information listed in the obituary.

Ed has left pretty big shoes for me to fill for our company, but I will try to do the best that I can. One of those really big task was to write his obituary, I hope I did him proud.

Not only have I lost a remarkable person but the motorcycle industry has lost one of the great ones also.

I have provided you with the website that has his obituary, please feel free to write a memory or an encounter with Ed as I would like to preserve them for his family.

https://www.heinzfh.com/obituaries/john-youngblood
Please visit this website and leave your comment about Ed. The loss of this man has been felt by more than just myself, Debbie Selsavage.

Today's Citrus County Chronicle contained a story about Coping with Dementia's new book, "A First Responder's Guide to Dementia." It is available from Amazon in both print and digital editions. Click here for more details: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=a+first+responders+guide+to+dementia&crid=T152B0XOXU9Y&sprefix=a+first+responders+guide+to+%2Caps%2C122&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_28

Talk show host Wendy Williams diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia and aphasia Talk show host Wendy Williams has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia and aphasia, two years after her daytime talk show abruptly ended.

Today, we presented our ABC of Dementia workshop to a group of about 30 at the Rock of Ages Lutheran Church in Wildwood, Florida. Two in the audience were police officers from the Wildwood force, so we were able to present them free copies of our new "First Responders Guide to Dementia." Thank you, Rock of Ages, for the opportunity.

We are proud to announce that our latest Coping with Dementia book, “A First Responder’s Guide to Dementia,” is off the press in both print and digital editions. Working with Dementia Education Inc., we have plans to make this new 100-page guide available to any and all first-responder agencies, and Coping with Dementia will give it to all participants in our first responder trainings. It is available from Amazon.com for $9.95 in print, or $2.99 in the Kindle digital version. To learn more, click https://www.amazon.com/First-Responders-Guide-Dementia-Recognition/dp/B0CV5YZ77C/ref=sr_1_1?crid=9ZKD9JB0QNH2&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9._h6OaiE7pUPQ7FvMHk4CtT1fbiKwW0qdN-9VuB-newLxDJ0tFQdR8SDfFr60zWVaTl8LjGi1dp8D-ynhJQ0AFV31UuPcNeOJFjlhNGvveOPmtVKVitLcZSjqoXwdx_0w.alNN6cVYXBZbkThh-Ikids8jeq4v_iFG6U27OYbtZU8&dib_tag=se&keywords=a+first+responders+guide+to+dementia&qid=1708545762&s=books&sprefix=a+first+responders+gui%2Cstripbooks%2C101&sr=1-1.

Coping with Dementia preempts Florida State Legislature.

The Florida State Legislature is in the process of passing S801 and H801 that will require that law enforcement officers receive educational training in dementia. The language of these bills is similar to the training that Coping with Dementia LLC has offered to first responder agencies around the state since 2018. Of course, it remains to be seen whether our curriculum will be officially endorsed by the State, of if agencies in Tallahassee will choose to reinvent the wheel.

However this initiative evolves, it is a very positive move that was supported in a recent editorial in the Citrus County Chronicle. To read this editorial, click https://www.chronicleonline.com/opinion/editorials/give-police-the-tools-training-to-help-those-with-dementia/article_5610c5e8-720c-539c-94c1-63a50949cf45.html?fbclid=IwAR3_0A2kjgnbjlyUOwiApWanhZUcTt_A2godVAloiN9fSiwTOgHKXZRMB9w.

This morning, we were up early and on our way to Ocala to set up our Famous Americans Dementia Education Photo Exhibit as part of a two-day visit by Teepa snow hosted by Hospice of Marion County. Teepa's "Best Practices in Dementia Care" lecture will take place tomorrow at the Circle Square Cultural Center at On Top of the World, a facility grand enough to make room for our full 80-plus portrait display. Pictured here with Debbie is Linda Bemiss, Secretary of the Dementia Education Inc. board of directors, who helped us set up the display. This afternoon, Deb will be part of a local team of Positive Approach to Care Certified Trainers and Mentors to assist Teepa with a special training of more than forty health care workers.

Next Citrus County free ABC of Dementia workshop coming up at Lakes Region Library in Inverness.

Coping with Dementia LLC and the Citrus County Library System have announced that free ABC of Dementia workshops will be offered monthly at libraries throughout the county during 2024.

Coping with Dementia President and workshop presenter Debbie Selsavage reports, “Our ABC of Dementia workshop explains Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia in plain language, suggests techniques for becoming a better and less-stressed care partner, and provides useful resources to families living with dementia.”

The 2024 schedule will include:
January 8 – Homosassa Library, 4100 S. Grandmarch Avenue.
February 23 -- Lakes Region Library, 1511 Druid Road, Inverness.
March 18 – Floral City Library, 8360 E. Orange Avenue.
April 15 – Central Ridge Library, 425W. Roosevelt Ave., Beverly Hills.
May 20 -- Coastal Region Library, 8619 W. Crystal Street, Crystal River.
June 17 -- Homosassa.
July 15 – Inverness.
August 19 – Floral City.
Sept. 16 -- Central Ridge Library.
Oct. 21 – Crystal River.
Nov. 18 – Homosassa.
Dec. 16 – Inverness.

All workshops are presented from 10 a.m. to noon. Care partners and their loved ones living with dementia are welcome. While the workshops are free, reservations are encouraged. For more information or to reserve seats at any of the workshops, call 352-422-3663 or e-mail [email protected].

Rock of Ages Lutheran Church, located at 4957 E. County Road 462 in Wildwood, Florida, will host an ABC of Dementia workshop from 1 to 3 p.m. on Thursday February 22, 2024.

The workshop, to be conducted by Debbie Selsavage, President of Coping with Dementia LLC, will define Alzheimer’s and dementia, explain how dementia affects individuals, discuss ways to interpret dementia behaviors for better communication, and show how compassion and the proper use of voice, approach, and appropriate touch can result in more effective and less stressful caregiving. While the workshop is designed for care partners of loved ones living with dementia, people already experiencing dementia are welcome to attend.

Though the workshop is free and open to the public, registration is requested for planning purposes. To make reservations, call 352-422-3663 or e-mail [email protected].