The Alzheimer Spouse Caregivers Return From A Successful Caregiver Stress Management Cruise

Feb. 23, 2009 - PRLog -- These cruises, organized and planned by travel agent and geriatric social worker, Patrick Toal, MSW of  www.cargivercruises.com, are educational and enjoyable respite vacations for all caregivers. The most recent February cruise traveled to Key West and Grand Cayman.

The Keynote Address was given by Dr. Teena Cahill (www.teenacahill.com), a dynamic worldwide speaker, author of The Cahill Factor, and a spousal caregiver herself. Dr. Cahill inspires everyone with her enthusiastic talks on positive caregiving.

Joan Gershman, the creator of the website, www.thealzheimerspouse.com, the only site on the Internet that deals exclusively with the unique issues and challenges faced by spouses of Alzheimer's patients, presented a funny, interactive, educational workshop on communicating effectively with the cognitively impaired Alzheimer patient.  

Support groups presided over by two other social workers were offered twice daily.

The rest of the time was spent relaxing, eating, dancing, listening to music, touring the islands, and simply having a great time of respite away from caregiving.

The next Caregiver Stress Management Cruise leaves September 4, 2009, from Seattle Washington. Destination – ALASKA! Many more members of www.thealzheimerspouse.com will be sailing with us. The Keynote Speaker will be Lisa P. Gwyther, M.S.W., Associate Professor in the Duke University Medical Center Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and co-author of The Alzheimer’s Action Plan. Joan Gershman will be presenting another interactive workshop, and there will be plenty of shipboard fun for all.

Log onto www.caregivercruises.com for information about signing up for the Alaska cruise, but hurry, as cabins are going fast.

Log onto www.thealzheimerspouse.com for all of the resources offered to spouses of Alzheimer patients - Joan Gershman’s,  DAILY BLOGS chronicling challenges and struggles of coping with caring for an AD spouse; MESSAGE BOARDS filled with spouses who understand each others emotions as no one else can, offering support and information to one another. The Alzheimer Spouse website provides a wealth of resources and information for every issue facing a spouse of an Alzheimer patient.

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"A website devoted exclusively to the unique issues faced by spouses of Alzheimer patients - a place for information, support, and message boards filled with spouses who understand the challenges that Alzheimer's Disease brings to a marriage."