At Anthony's Hearthside Restaurant

I spent the day at a conference put on by the Alzheimer's Society of Washington. I hadn't planned to go but at the last minute one of the presenters had to back out. I got a call day before yesterday asking if I'd be willing to be in a panel of care givers to fill in her spot. There were seven of us who volunteered and the panel went very well. Each of us shared our experiences. We were sitting in order of where we were in the process. I was last because I was representing a caregiver whose care receiver had passed away. This order worked out really well. Each of us had a story to tell and all together they represented the journey of caring for a person with dementia. Later in the afternoon we spent some time in a breakout room with anybody who wanted to ask us questions. It was a small group and the discussion became quite a bit like a support group meeting. I know it helped the folks who came because they told us it did. I am really glad I agreed to be part of this.

After the conference ended we adjourned to the Hearthside Restaurant for dinner together. None of us realized the Society was treating us to dinner. They didn't really need to do that. We all had a great time talking together and having a delicious meal. It was a good day.