Caregivers Corner

Bryant Funeral Home Offers
Innovative Community Outreach Programs

Fred Bryant

Funeral Director and Owner of Bryant Funeral Home, a family owned and operated firm

It is important to me to offer the caregivers of our community support with their overwhelming responsibilities.

These free presentations can be customized to include a topic aimed for your group’s specific needs. We will help you arrange to have Ms. Jyringi speak at your morning, daytime or evening meeting.

I feel strongly that the commuity will benefit from having Darlene Jyringi as our Community Program and Education Consultant. Her expertise and sensitive style make for a very winning combination.

Ms. Jyringi’s programs are created to help the caregivers in our community by offering positive steps they can apply to their own situations. Others explore warning signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, as well as tips for healthy aging that could improve the health of older adults. These Community Outreach Seminars and Programs offer useful techniques with an entertaining approach, making them suitable for many different audiences. One good humored program that deals with memory loss is titled, "Keep Your Memory Sharp, Where Did I Put It?". A talk entitled "Behind the Wheel, Giving up the Car Keys-when is the right time?" has proven to be of great interest for those trying to figure out how to deal with this sensitive issue in their own family. 

Local groups are encouraged to use this community resource by planning a free presentation with Ms. Jyringi, courtesy of Fred Bryant and the Bryant Funeral Home. The programs can be scheduled from 1/2 hour to 1 hour to fit into your meeting, email us at , your request for a brochure containing complete program information.

Darlene Jyringi M.P.S.

Community Program & Education Consultant for Bryant Funeral Home

Ms. Jyringi has a Masters in Gerontology, and is the Program Director for the Alzheimer’s Disease Assistance Center of L.I. at Stony Brook.

For this outreach program, she has developed a variety of short talks that can be presented to church and synagogues, civic and fraternal organizations and local churches compliments of   Bryant Funeral Home.

Caregiver's Corner
Questions and Answers

Q:        “I’m becoming more forgetful.  Is this the first sign of Alzheimer’s     disease?”

A:         Many people experience memory lapses.  Everyone has forgotten the name of an acquaintance or where they parked their car at one time or another.  Sometimes, we mistake emotional problems for a dementia.  Feelings of sadness, loneliness or boredom may occur in older people, facing retirement or coping with the loss of a spouse, relative or friend.  Adjusting to these changes may cause some to feel confused or forgetful.   Memory loss that interferes with daily life is not part of the normal aging process; it is a symptom of dementia.  Dementia is the loss of intellectual functioning, thinking, reasoning, and remembering, so severe, it interferes with daily functioning.  Dementia is not a disease; it is a group of symptoms that accompanies certain diseases.  The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease.

Q:        “What are the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease?”

A:         The warning signs for Alzheimer’s disease include:
           

1. Memory loss for recent events
2. Disorientation to time and place
3. Problems performing familiar tasks (cooking, using appliances, electronic devices)
4. Language difficulty (forgetting simple words, substituting inappropriate words)
5. Decreased judgment (wearing summer clothes on a cold day)
6. Problems with abstract thinking (balancing the checkbook)
7. Losing things more often usual and/or putting them in unusual places
8. Change in personality
9. Change in mood or behavior
10. Loss of interest in usual activities

If you or a loved one has several of these symptoms, it is recommended that you consult a physician.  Diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia in the early stages is an important step in obtaining appropriate treatment and support services.

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