by John Mark Shaver FAIRMONT NEWS EDITOR
FAIRMONT, W.Va. — The Marion County Senior Center will be holding a dementia care and community resource fair next month, with officials hoping to expand understanding of the disease and ways to help those who have it.
Marion County Senior Center Executive Director Leisha Elliott said that the free Dec. 6 event will feature several speakers and an expert panel, as well as vendors and resource tables.
Families will be able to ask questions regarding dementia care and how they can best help their loved ones.
Elliott said that taking care of a loved one with dementia is emotionally taxing work, and it’s often difficult to understand what sort of help is available in the community. She hopes this event helps change that.
“We’re also hoping to have a room set aside so if you need to bring a family member or somebody that you’re caring for that has dementia, we could keep them occupied with some games and snacks,” Elliott said.
“We’ll have some of our workers who are trained in dementia care sit with them so the family members can really concentrate and interact with the speakers vendors.”
Elliott encouraged those in the community to attend the event, even if they aren’t currently taking care of someone with dementia.
“You may not need it now, but you don’t know how things will change in the future,” she said. “It’s just good to make those connections so that when the time comes, you know where to look.”
The dementia care and community resource fair will be held at Fairmont State University’s Colebank Hall on Dec. 6 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The event will be free to attend.
The Marion County Senior Center is still looking for additional vendors and speakers for the event. Interested parties can contact the senior center at 304-366-8779.
Fairmont News Editor John Mark Shaver can be reached at 304-844-8485 or jshaver@theet.com.