Support Groups and Caregiver Education
Living with Younger Onset Memory Loss Support Group
The Living with Young Onset Support Group is a 6-week In-Person support series for people living with a new diagnosis of Younger Onset Alzheimer’s Disease or Related Conditions.
Tuesday, October 1st -Tuesday, November 5th, 9:30-11am
CU Psychiatry Department 1890 N. Revere Court
See YOAD 2024 In Person Flyer for more information
An interview and intake with the CU Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic is required to participate. Insurance is billed for this group. This support program is a collaboration of the Memory Disorders Clinic, The Alzheimer’s Association Colorado Chapter and the University of Colorado Anschutz Psychiatry Department.
Contact Mary O’Hara, LCSW at 303.724.9419 or mary.ohara@cuanschutz.edu
Poster Cortical Atrophy Support Group at CU Alzheimer's and Cognition Center
Posterior Cortical Atrophy, or PCA, is a clinical syndrome that is most commonly due to Alzheimer's disease. People with PCA often come to the clinic because they are having trouble interpreting information they see with their eyes (known as "visual processing impairment"), rather than with symptoms of memory loss. Symptoms typically start with a person in their 50s, and because memory loss is the most common presenting symptom of Alzheimer's disease, PCA is referred to as an "atypical Alzheimer's disease."
CU Alzheimer's and Cognition Center faculty member and Professor of Neurology and Ophthalmology, Dr. Victoria Pelak, is an expert in providing care for patients with PCA and she recognized the need for a specific support community for people with PCA and their families, friends, and care partners. Dr. Pelak notes that "the diagnosis of Posterior Cortical Atrophy is often delayed by years, and by the time patients are told that PCA is the cause of their symptoms, patients and their families are often overwhelmed. Our support group creates a community for education and support and is open to everyone."
We will be hosting our first in-person Colorado PCA Support Group meeting since the pandemic on Wednesday, December 4, 2024 from 10:00 am to Noon (MST). This will also be held via Zoom for those who cannot attend in-person.
10:00-11:00 am (MT)
Topic: Learning and Leaning In by Dr. Victoria Pelak (In-Person/Zoom)
11:00-12:00 pm (MT)
Dedicated to casual discussion among in-person members (In-Person Only)
We are very excited and hope all of our Colorado members can attend.
If any of our out-of-state members would like to join us in-person, please let Jerri Lusk (COPCA@cuanschutz.edu) know and she can send you hotel information close to our campus. Otherwise, we hope everyone out-of-state can join us via Zoom.
To learn more about PCA, go to www.ColoradoPCASupport.org
Alzheimer's Association Support Groups
The Alzheimer's Association also provides many support groups for people living with Alzheimer's as well as caregivers, both in person and online. More information on their support groups can be found here.