March 2023

Highly sought after speaker and author of four books on dementia and Alzheimer’s, Dr. Tam Cummings, recently presented a program entitled “Understanding Alzheimer’s and other Dementias” at Cornerstone Retirement Community in Texarkana. The audience of over 60 seniors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals gathered to learn from the gerontologist. Dr. Cummings is well known for developing the Dementia Behavior Assessment Tool (DBAT) to better stage dementia following over 25 years of experience in elder care. She also shared tips on how to best communicate with those suffering from memory loss, as well as tools to better arrive at a specific diagnosis when considering there are nine different types of dementias. While many people are diagnosed each year with dementia, most are not fully equipped to understand which type of dementia they are suffering from. According to Cummings, understanding this is key to developing a successful care plan and preparing for what each stage of the disease may bring. “Dr. Cummings brings a level of expertise rarely seen in elder care. We are better equipped to have spent this time with her. She left our team with so many fantastic tools and tips that we are certain we can continue to provide the best in memory loss services in the region,” said Britany Gavriel, Executive Director of Cornerstone. Following the morning presentation, Dr. Cummings rallied the employees of Cornerstone for a specialized training to deepen their understanding of the disease and equip them for continued success. Gavriel went on to say, “As the area’s leading memory support community, Cornerstone can offer peace of mind to the family, while extended specialized programing and care is delivered by highly trained professionals to their loved ones. We are exceedingly proud of this distinction. We are also proud that we could bring Dr. Tam Cummings to share her knowledge with Texarkana.”

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