“Dementia Capable Care and Physical/Sensory Environment as Part of Assessment and Care”
This FREE OPICA/NTG sponsored webinar series is intended to increase adult day service providers knowledge and skills in providing
dementia-capable services to aging adults with IDD. As adults with IDD age, they share many of the same
challenges as adults in the general aging population, but also have many unique challenges related to their
underlying IDD.
Presenter: Kathleen M. Bishop, Ph.D.
Presenter Bio: Dr. Bishop has been in the IDD field 45+ with over 30 of those years spent specializing in
aging and dementia-capable care for adults with IDD. Dr. Bishop is retired from the University of Rochester
School of Medicine and Dentistry and New York State’s Office for People with Developmental Disabilities.
Currently, she is a private consultant for organizations, families, and individuals with IDD on health care
advocacy and dementia-capable care and Chair of the NTG’s Education and Training Committee for which she
travels nationally teaching adult day programs, direct support professionals, and organizations how to design
dementia-capable care. Her areas of expertise are health care advocacy and environmental design for creating
dementia-supportive environments.
Topics Covered:
• How sensory impairment can be a cause for cognitive and functional decline.
• The importance of knowing each adult’s lifelong sensory strengths and weaknesses.
• How impaired sensory processing resulting from Alzheimer’s or other related forms of dementia can
impact ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs) and participation in adult day services
programs.
• Practical and inexpensive modifications to the physical environment to support function and
independence.