YoloCares to host free dementia-care workshops

By Gia Martucci

Senior Center on July 26 and the Woodland Senior Center on Aug. 8 and will be free of charge to attendees. The Alzheimer’s Association and Del Oro Caregiver Resource Center will be in attendance to offer additional support to participants.

YoloCares, in partnership with Your Home Assistant, will offer free inhome respite care for participants who are primary caregivers to dependent seniors during workshops, free of charge. Availability is limited to 14 families and will be offered on a first come, first served basis.

PAC is a nonprofit advocacy and educational organization led by Teepa

Snow, one of the world’s leading experts in dementia and other forms of brain change. The mission of PAC is to destigmatize dementia and other forms of brain change through public education and workshops for caregivers and clinicians.

Beth A. D. Nolan, Ph.D. will lead each session and serves as the Director of Research and Policy for PAC. Formerly an Assistant Professor at the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public Health, Dr. Nolan received her Ph.D. in applied gerontol- ogy. She has worked with a variety of human service agencies to implement evidence-based programs for behavioral health, criminal justice, medicine, and senior living, and now works to help move caregivers to become care partners.

The workshop series, “A Positive Approach to Dementia Care,” will offer four unique sessions which will explore the intricacies of dementia, how the disease progresses, and will offer insights and strategies to help caregivers improve daily interactions with their loved ones.

“Caregivers of loved ones living with dementia often find themselves unsure of how to respond to their loved one as their moods and behavior changes — it can feel bewildering if you don’t understand how dementia affects the brain.

This workshop will give caregivers a great set of tools and will help them develop empathy and understanding for their loved one’s journey with dementia,” says Louise Joyce, Director of Community Programs.

Man accused of knife threat

Davis police arrested a man who allegedly threatened another person with a knife Tuesday afternoon.

Officers responded at about 3:10 p.m. to Slide Hill Park in East Davis, where they found the suspect and his alleged victim still on the scene, according to Lt. Dan Beckwith.

“The reporting party told officers that the suspect had approached him with a fixed-blade knife and threatened him,” Beckwith said. “Officers detained the suspect and located a fixed blade concealed on his person.”

Daniel Sequoya Armstrong, 48, of Davis, was arrested on suspicion of carrying a concealed dirk or dagger and booked into the Yolo County Jail.

Project Linus gathers July 12

Do you enjoy quilting, knitting or sewing?

Join Project Linus to make blankets for children who are seriously ill, traumatized or otherwise in need. Come to the gathering at the Davis Senior Center on Wednesday, July 12, from 1:30 to 3 p.m. to share ideas, patterns and lots of good conversation.

Project Linus members may take home donated fabrics and yarn each month to complete a blanket. Finished blankets can be brought to the next monthly gathering or to the Joann Fabric store in Woodland.

For general information, drop-off location questions or fabric and yarn donations, contact Diane McGee at dmm yolo@gmail.com.

Science Café gathers July 12

Davis Science Café is back Wednesday, July 12, with “The Womb’s Wisdom: Predictive Insights from the Delivery Room Trashbin,” from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at G Street WunderBar, 228 G St. in downtown Davis.

This month’s speaker is Prof. Janine Lasalle from the UCD Medical School department of medical microbiology and immunology. She studies the epigenetic of neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism, Rett, PraderWilli, Anglican and Dup15q syndromes.

The event is free to attend, with complimentary soft drinks courtesy of the UCD College of Letters and Science.