Senior Committee

Who We Are

The Lucas DD Senior Committee offers consultations and resources for providers, family members, and Lucas DD staff with cases involving an individual with a developmental disability who is aging and/or experiencing dementia-related symptoms.

This includes helping families plan for when the caregiver ages, and other family members and friends may need to take on a bigger role.

To make arrangements for a consultation or make any other inquiries about resources, email seniorcommittee@lucasdd.org.

Toolkit

The Senior Committee has developed a toolkit of ideas for activities for those who have developmental disabilities and/or are experiencing memory loss. Ideas include physical and outdoor activities, expressive arts, and activities that promote calming, distraction, and cognitive stimulation.

The kit has activity descriptions, videos, online resources, activity protocols, tips for planning and implementing activities for those with dementia, and ideas on where to find activity supplies.

Printed Resources

Tip sheets and other printed resources addressing a variety of topics related to supporting someone with dementia are available free of charge at the Lucas DD Larc Lane Center, 1155 Larc Lane (Door A). Spanish versions are also available.

Aging Gracefully Newsletter

Aging Gracefully is a monthly newsletter published and edited by the Senior Committee at the Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities. Click here to read the current and previous issues.

Online Resources

Alzheimers.gov, the official US government web site about Alzheimer's, which is managed by the National Institutes on Aging, has a wealth of information about the various forms of dementia, and includes a page focusing on resources for caregivers, https://www.alzheimers.gov/life-with-dementia/resources-caregivers.

The Ohio Department of Aging includes a Caregiver Support Page, https://aging.ohio.gov/care-and-living/caregiver-support, a link about Dementia Caregiving specifically, https://aging.ohio.gov/care-and-living/caregiver-support/dementia-caregiving-1, plus navigation tools for finding nursing homes and other services. (available on the home page.)

As the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering Americans 50 and older to choose how they live as they age, AARP has a wealth of information for seniors and their caregivers.

USAging, the national association representing Area Agencies on Aging throughout the country, also offers webinars and other online resources about aging: https://www.usaging.org/content.asp?contentid=148

Careforth is a national HBCS organization that offers caregiving coaching and links caregivers with resources in their local communities, including in Ohio. This past post from their blog lists 10 of The Best Free Resources for Dementia Caregivers

The Ability Center of Greater Toledo's Disability-Friendly Toolkit features an always-updated list of resources on everything from housing to transportation to recreation and education.

We Thrive Together has a wide variety of virtual games, workouts, classes, parties and more, all free to individuals served by Lucas DD. For any questions regarding We Thrive Together, email Alyssa Criscito at alyssa@wethrivetogether.org.

Ohio-and-Michigan-Based Support Groups and Senior Programming 

(Mostly In-Person, Some Virtual)

Area Office on Aging of Northwestern Ohio has all sorts of programs, activities, services, and referrals for seniors - including support for those caring for an older person and support for grandparents raising grandchildren. (Scroll through the Programs page.) You can call their main number at 419-382-0624, and ask to be connected to their Aging and Disability Resource Network. Ask about options for transportation to their programs. There are also numerous Senior Centers around Northwest Ohio, most with their own programs.

The University of Toledo Center for Successful Aging offers presentations on a variety of aging-related topics, which they will bring to a group or organization's location on request, plus a walking-for-fitness program.

YMCA Toledo offers various fitness programs for Active Older Adults at various branches.

MemoryLane Care Services is a Toledo-based organization serving people with dementia and their families and educating the public. They offer regular virtual and in-person information sessions for caregivers. 

The Alzheimer's Association's Northwest Ohio Chapter offers support groups throughout 24 counties that they serve in Northwest Ohio. And find additional Alzheimer's education events in the area at this link

The ARC of the United States offers nationwide network and resources for siblings of those with DD https://thearc.org/get-involved/siblings/. There is currently no ARC of Lucas County, but you can connect with the ARC of Ohio and some Ohio-based sibling networks that are listed. Ohio SIBS offers virtual meetings where siblings of individuals with DD can learn from experts and from one another, including about caregiving and resources.

"SIBSHOPS" for siblings of children with DD are offered in Northwest Ohio by The Down Syndrome Association of Greater Toledo:  https://www.dsagt.org/family-members.html, and also through a partnership between the Autism Society of Northwest Ohio and the Educational Service Center (ESC) of Lake Erie West: https://asno.org/services/sibshops/. 2023-24 dates and registration for the Autism Society-ESC Sibshops can be found here: https://lucasdd.org/events/1569/2023-09-30/sibshops. These programs are for kids and teens, but can help begin a learning process about the sibling's special needs and how to care for them. 

The Michigan State University Kinship Care Resource Center and the MSU Extensions host online parenting seminars with a focus on "kinship caregivers," meaning grandparents and relatives caregiving in place of parents. Click here and here.  

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Resource Center here in the area: https://tbirc.org/hours/

Brain Injury Association of Ohio has local support groups: https://www.biaoh.org/support-groups

Virtual Training Programs - IDD and Dementia

The Alzheimer's Association Michigan Chapter offers a free webinar series about supporting those with both IDD and dementia, as part of its Developmental Disabilities Supportive Services Program. Click here to learn more. 

National Task Group on Intellectual Disabilities and Dementia Practices (sometimes referred to as NTG) is dedicated to promoting services and supports for people with IDD and their families affected by dementia. Look on their site for Webinars and Trainings -including under the Webinars and Education tabs, and their Family Support page.

Virtual Training Programs - Dementia Generally

Dementia Friends is a global initiative to help everyone better understand dementia and learn how to make a difference in the life of someone affected by it. The Ohio Council for Cognitive Health operates Dementia Friends Ohio. Dementia Friends offers virtual trainings that any provider, family member, friend or community member can take. While many of their webinars are about dementia generally, Dementia Friends also offers information about people with both IDD and dementia, and has a program for helping people with IDD understand when dementia affects someone in their life.

Dementia Society of America

https://www.dementiasociety.org/videos-publications

The following offer, in addition to formal webinars and trainings, short videos that have practical, easy-to-follow, hands-on tips for addressing the everyday challenges of supporting someone with dementia.

Teepa Snow: Positive Approach to Care

Main Site: https://teepasnow.com/

Teepa Snow Video Page on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/teepasnow

Dementia Careblazers

Main Site: https://www.careblazers.com/ (social media pages at the bottom)

Youtube Video Page: https://www.youtube.com/dementiacareblazers

"Return to You" 

This online session with practical tips for how caregivers can prioritize self-care and their own mental health is available on-demand here. Although it was presented by the Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities, the principles apply to caregivers caring for a person of any age with illness, disabilities, or dementia.