Dementia Caregiver Questions Fielded in UW’s Wyoming Dementia Together Program

Caregivers for people living with dementia have at least one thing in common: Their lives are filled with questions. The next Wyoming Dementia Together (WDT) program will feature experts who will offer advice Wednesday, Nov. 29.

WDT is a statewide, nonprofit caregiver network operating through the University of Wyoming’s Wyoming Center on Aging (WyCOA). WDT meets by Zoom call every other Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. Programs feature guest speakers and allow time for interaction from those who attend online.

It is easy to feel alone in the caregiver journey, says Scott Veatch, of Casper, a WDT team member since the group’s inception three years ago. He will lead the latest discussion for the WyCOA-sponsored program. Veatch was a caregiver to his wife, Mona, who died two years ago from Alzheimer’s.

“When Mona was first diagnosed in 2007, there was very little support available for me. Here at Wyoming Dementia Together, we want to change that,” Veatch says. “Our goal is to use our individual experiences and talents to make the caregiver’s journey easier.”

On the latest program, caregiver experts will welcome questions on any relevant topic, such as nutrition, communication, help with dressing and in the bathroom, and general questions about caring for someone with a dementia diagnosis.

Caregivers from throughout Wyoming and surrounding states have benefited from the WDT programs. WDT includes dementia care professionals, licensed clinical social workers, a neuropsychologist, an occupational therapist and caregivers themselves. WDT began meeting in fall 2020 and since has been offering online programming help.

For information about registering for Zoom calls and the other free services offered by WDT, call WyCOA at (307) 766-2829 or email wycoa@uwyo.edu.

For more information, go to the WDT Caregiver Network website.