SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Family members and caregivers gathered with a goal to get a deeper understanding of cognitive decline.

Donna Durand, Red Deer and Central Alberta regional manager with the Alzheimer Society as well as a roots musician plays a song during the Alzheimer's caregiving workshop at the Explorer Hotel on Jan. 22. Durand uses song and story to can help evoke important feelings and events in the life of a person with Alzheimer's disease. - Adrian Lysenko/NNSL photo

The Alzheimer Society of Alberta and Northwest Territories held a workshop on Alzheimer's caregiving on Saturday at the Explorer Hotel.

The keynote speaker of the event was Caterina Edwards, the author of "Finding Rosa: A Mother With Alzheimer's; A Daughter in Search of the Past Learning."

"I guess what I'm hoping by sharing my experiences and what I learned, I don't know if I can give them a deeper understanding but I hope it can touch off on them," she said.

The novel describes Edwards account of her taking care of her mother Rosa, who was afflicted with Alzheimer's.

"One of the things I learned was you need to get help, you have to look around the community and not feel badly," said Edwards.

"You have to look after your own health too and if you don't look after yourself you can't help the other person."

Michele Ray-Jones, Director of care with Yellowknife Association of Concerned Citizens for Seniors, spoke at the workshop about the Adult Day Program being offered at Aven Cottages Territorial Dementia Facility.

"It's very difficult to be in the situation where you're having to change your relationship with your loved one from a sibling, a daughter, or a son to their primary caregiver," said Ray-Jones.

"Especially as that person is eroding away and they're losing more and more of their self and their grasp on who they are and what their relationship is to you, it's very emotionally draining and very physically demanding work to do."

The adult day program is for people over the age of 60 who are living in the community and in need of support, according to Ray-Jones. The primary target for the program are people with dementia but it will be open to other people with physical disabilities who require someone to take care of them.

"Obviously your first priority would be to keep people in their homes and in their community as long as possible so the day program actually helps to do that so that caregivers get a break during the day," said Ray-Jones.

"As things progress not everyone can care for someone in their home right to the end, it's very intense."

The reason why Sarah Kelleher attended the workshop was not only because her father had passed away from Alzheimer's but she has experience in the health care field in Yellowknife.

Kelleher said she enjoyed the workshop because it concentrated less on facts and more on emotional impact.

"It's really talking about being and being with people who are struggling with dementia and Alzheimer's," said Kelleher.

"What I'm really appreciating so far is the whole perspective of feeling being the language that you need to continue to communicate in and I think that's a helpful way whether your a family member or a health care giver."

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