On Tuesday, the Cass County COA hosted its first ever conference focusing on education and training on a growing problem for men and women tasked with caring for our nation’s elders: dementia.

Holding sessions for professionals and family caregivers alike, the local agency delivered the goods for the program, bringing in nationally recognized dementia expert Teepa Snow to lead the seminars taking place throughout the day.

With America’s largest generation continuing to advance in collective age, programs such as these are becoming rapidly more crucial.

In Cass County, a strong foundation for the care of our community’s seniors already exists. A number of vital healthcare institutions call the Dowagiac and surrounding area home, including Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital, Woodlands Behavioral Health and The Timbers of Cass County nursing care facility.

As an increasing number of residents exit the workforce and enter retirement, the doctors, nurses and other caretakers that man these facilities will play an even greater role in the overall welfare of our community. And the most effective way to ensure that these professionals continue to serve their patients is to provide them with the best education possible, especially when new trends or problems emerge.

Tuesday’s conference is a perfect demonstration of the kind of training our professionals need. And with the COA continually adding new programs and services for caregivers, seniors and other residents, we have hopes they will continue to play a strong support role for our community’s healthcare community in the years to come.

We hope that more institutions follow suit.

 

Opinions expressed are those of the editorial board consisting of Publisher Michael Caldwell and editors Ambrosia Neldon, Craig Haupert, Ted Yoakum and Scott Novak.