A Day of Education and Connection for Care Partners
Cathy Watson can’t wait to attend the Alzheimer Society’s annual Care4u Family Conference taking place on October 18, 2025.
The day-long conference at the Victoria Inn Hotel and Convention Centre has a variety of breakout sessions covering things like home safety, communication and responsive behaviours, meaningful activities and legal and financial matters – so many helpful topics that Cathy said she had a hard time choosing which ones to attend.
And for that matter, she’s just excited to be able to attend in person, knowing her husband Gray will be safely cared for at home. That’s because the Society’s First Link® Client Support staff suggested Cathy apply for self and family-managed care through the Provincial Home Care program, which is now in place. Cathy can benefit from respite care and she’s happy to spend some of those hours at the upcoming Care4u conference.
Gray is 76 and lives with Lewy Body Dementia. Cathy began noticing the signs five years ago.
“I started noticing something was off in 2019 and we got a formal diagnosis in 2020,” she says. “We are still managing but Gray is progressing. I feel like I’m living in an unreal world all the time. A current challenge we face is him constantly seeing things that aren’t there and talking about things that aren’t really happening.”
She and her husband, who had a career as a warehouse manager, have attended Minds in Motion and Tales Along the Trail, two of several community programs the Society offers, which have given the couple opportunities to do things together. But Cathy is looking forward to the conference.
“It will be nice to have a day of respite, for one thing, and to meet other caregivers face-to-face, connecting with them and sharing with them. I may recognize people I’ve connected with online, too. It will be the first time coming together with others through the Society without Gray, without worrying about him,” she says.
The theme of this year’s conference, “Insight to Impact: Turning Knowledge into Confident Care” is apt, says Cathy. One of the keynote presentations is titled Knowledge is Power: Illuminating Paths to Connection, Compassion and Joy. She’s looking forward to hearing what speakers, Karen Stobbe and Mondy Carter have to say.
“This conference is all about handling the day-to-day things you go through while caring for someone living with dementia, which becomes more and more important as time goes on and more challenges come your way. You really do have to go with the flow. You play along, and I’ll learn new strategies for that.”
You can learn more about the many speakers and presentation topics featured at this year’s Care4u conference by visiting alzheimer.mb.ca/care4u. Sessions are filling up fast – register today to get your top picks!
Care4u Family Conference 2024
From Insight to Impact: Turning Knowledge into Confident Care
Saturday, October 18, 2025 | 8 am – 3:45 pm
Victoria Inn Hotel & Convention Centre
1808 Wellington Ave, Winnipeg, MB
Cost: $50 (includes a lunch buffet and resources)
This event is sponsored by:
