Activities for the Family Caregiver: Caregiving 101

Dawn Appler-Worsley is a highly accomplished senior care professional, author and national speaker with 26 years of expertise. She has been awarded national certifications as a Certified Activity Director, Consultant, Dementia Care Practitioner, Alzheimer’s Dementia Care Trainer and Eden Alternative Associate. Dawn was instrumental in working with other industry experts during the development of the Home Care Certification course curriculum and credentialing to begin addressing the growing need for standards in Home Care for our aging population. Suzanne John, R.N., is a retired Registered Nurse. with over 12 years of clinical nursing experience in areas such as Cardiothoracic Surgical nursing, Medical and Cardiac Intensive Care nursing, working with ventilator-dependent patients and their families in a long-term care facility, RN Supervisor in a skilled nursing facility and as a RN providing outpatient cardiac rehab care to patients post open heart surgery or after a ＂heart attack＂. Scott Silknitter is the founder of R.O.S. Therapy Systems. He has made it his mission to make activities and engagement for those with cognitive and physical disabilities part of our national dialogue and to improve quality of life for caregivers and seniors through those activities and education. Scott is passionate about spreading this important message across the country and eventually across the globe. As a means to get the conversation started, he also developed the Start Some Joy Movement. He’s co-written family caregiver books with national experts for the Activities for the Family Caregiver Series - to help caregivers engage and improve the quality of life for millions of people who suffer from dementia, Parkinson’s ALS, stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury and other debilitating diseases or issues. The books are written with common sense advice and suggestions, but based on the principles and core focus areas for communication, engagement and care taught to long term care professionals.He has spoken to audiences from the largest at-home care company to insurance professionals to civic groups to the multinational audience of TEDx viewers. He has written articles and pieces for Foxnews.com, A Place For Mom’s Alzheimer’s website, the National Parkinson’s Foundation, McKnight’s Long Term Care Magazine and other publications and media outlet