Women are invited for a day of inspiration and education in Okotoks.
The Okotoks Women’s Conference will take place at the Okotoks Recreation Centre on Sept. 23. The day-long event includes a key-note speaker to kick off the conference, followed by four break-out sessions, where participants can choose one of three presentations to take in.
There are 11 presenters putting on the 12 sessions. Jennifer Mallamo, who works with Dementia Friendly Communities at Tudor Manor, is hosting two of the sessions herself – one on dementia and one on brain health.
“One is a dementia simulation, which is called Walk a Mile in Their Shoes, and that’s under the umbrella of the Brenda Strafford Foundation,” said Mallamo. “Then, I’m also doing a session called Fuel for Your Brain, which is about brain health, and that’s my own business.”
She said the brain health session aligns closely with dementia, because she encourages people to make healthy choices and reduce their chances of Alzheimer’s and dementia.
The session will focus on making healthy choices to reduce brain inflammation and provide mental clarity, she said.
“I think people don’t necessarily make the connection between what they put in their bodies and how their brains perform, but there really is a strong linkage between those things,” said Mallamo.
She said learning about proper nutrition early can help people reduce the risk of cognitive impairment later in life. The session will also include samples of brain-healthy goodies – including chocolate, she said.
In her second session, Mallamo will get into the myths and facts about dementia, and help people experience what it could feel like.
She said no two people experience dementia the same way, but the session will simulate the sensory deprivation a lot of people who suffer from cognitive impairment feel, she said.
“It could look like reduced mobility in the hands, it could be discomfort in the feet while walking, it could be mental confusion, it could impact eyesight – blurred vision, tunnel vision,” said Mallamo. “There are lots of different types of tools we’ll be using to simulate that.”
There will also be an age suit in the presentation – a heavy vest and pair of goggles and earmuffs that make it difficult to hear properly, see well, or walk comfortably.
“It really simulates a lot of aspects of regular aging,” said Mallamo.
She said it’s important to have people experience dementia and aging to help raise awareness of what people deal with, and build community understanding and capacity to support individuals as they age in place.
“It’s like anything else – until you experience it yourself, you don’t really have a good sense of what it’s like to be in that position, to be faced with those physical constraints, the mental confusion and the frustration that goes along with that,” said Mallamo.
Tickets for the Okotoks Women’s Conference cost $55 each. For more information, including a schedule and registration, visit www.okotoks.ca.
