Alzheimer’s and Dementia Friendly Cruise and Conference to Alaska Inspires and Empowers Caregivers and Family Members
A cruise aboard Holland America's Signature-class cruise ship, ms Eurodam that is specially designed for caregivers and their loved ones living with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease and dementia is set to sail to Alaska!
THIS CRUISE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BENEFIT FROM A WIDE RANGE OF PROGRAMMING CREATED FOR THE COMPLEX AND STRESSFUL DAILY LIVES OF ALZHEIMER’S CAREGIVERS AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS.
WE FEATURE AN IMMERSIVE CONFERENCE DURING THIS CRUISE. JOIN US TO DISCOVER YOUR JOURNEY AS A CAREGIVER IN A WHOLE NEW WAY AND RETURN HOME WITH A RENEWED SPIRIT! WE OFFER YOU EXCLUSIVE HEART-BASED SESSIONS AND STRATEGY-FOCUSED WORKSHOPS. DAILY CAREGIVER RESPITE (ADULT DAYCARE SESSIONS) WILL BE INCLUDED WITH THIS CONFERENCE.
In addition, ALASKA IS A TOP TRAVEL BUCKET LIST DESTINATION, so this is a perfect pairing! We are also happy to connect families who may have special needs with trained support staff so that everyone can enjoy this trip with peace of mind.
Contact Kathy Shoaf RN, BSN, ATP at Elite Cruises and Vacations (888) 826-6836
"Living Everyday to Enjoy Life"
will include:
1.RNs and geriatric care professionals will lead a dedicated cruise support team from Elite Cruises and Vacations LLC. 2. Senior-Friendly activities and social events specifically geared to our group. 3. Daily Senior Zumba with Loretta 4. Respite sessions for caregivers will be included with the conference 5. Interactive conference topics created to “Enjoy Life” +” Living Well with Dementia” + “Diabetes and a Great Life” + Mobility safety… Live safe, Be safe… Enjoy + Capture Life’s best and simplest memories with pictures. + Overcome the obstacles and Keep going. 6. Daily agenda of activities to be incorporated with the daily activity schedule of Holland America Cruise Line. 7. Private Group Welcome cocktail party. 8. Group dinner seating available every evening. 9. Optional group shore excursions in each port escorted by a staff member. (shore excursions are at an additional cost) 10. Pre-cruise group hotel with Cruise Support Team staff to meet and greet you upon arrival and manage transportation to the cruise departure port. (hotel at additional cost) 11. Accessible accommodations and mobility assistance.
Special Diets Make a Splash on this Cruise!
DO YOU HAVE SPECIAL DIETARY NEEDS...NO WORRIES! HOLLAND AMERICA NOW OFFERS VEGETARIAN, VEGAN & GLUTEN-FREE CRUISE CUISINE DURING EVERY MEAL!
"Because we won't have these moments again"
"Living Everyday to Enjoy Life" will include:
An opportunity for attendees to find inspiration aboard from stories about the journeys of global caregivers through a brand new Book Circle sponsored by featured writers at the Alz Authors group.
Caregiver respite sessions, time for the caregivers to relax, experience an adventure or simply take a nap.
Available RN private duty care one-on-one client support at a minimal hourly fee.
Accessible accommodations (at no additional charge) and rentable mobility scooters.
Dementia / Alzheimer's interactive conference sessions intended to educate, inspire and create new ideas.
Opening night private cocktail party. Our first opportunity to meet and greet.
A unique CRUISE and CONFERENCE all in one! You and your family will sail round trip from Seattle, Washington on Holland America's ms Eurodam and experience the beauty of Alaska with stops in Juneau, Glacier Bay, Sitka, Ketchikan, and Victoria, Canada! Attendees will also experience diverse programming during the cruise that includes: healing pain and grief through sharing their stories; adapting homes for dementia; creating care partnerships; nutritional care for caregivers and their loved ones; and MUCH MORE! You will meet and spend time with others who share many of the same joys and sorrows as you do, so there is an opportunity to build new friendships as well. Return home with a renewed spirit, reconnected to joy and ease in your daily life!
This is an inclusive cruise and conference event created for Dementia clients and their caregivers and the family/ caregiver.
Muli-Generational cruise and conference event
Join us for this Bucket List Adventure
Alzheimer’s and Dementia Friendly Cruise and Conference to Alaska Inspires and Encourages Caregivers and Family Members to Enjoy Life
This is a truly Multi-Generational cruise experience with options to entertain or provide relaxation for the entire family.
Clients Having Fun
Respite Activities
Sr. Zumba with Loretta
July 6-13, 2019 -- A new cruise specially designed for caregivers and their loved ones living with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia is set to sail to Alaska.
At this time, Alzheimer’s disease cannot be prevented, slowed or cured. In the U.S., it is estimated that 5.5 million people are living with Alzheimer's disease, and every three seconds, someone in the world develops dementia. Approximately 15.7 million adult family caregivers in the U.S. care for someone who has Alzheimer's disease or other dementia.
Kathy Shoaf, RN, BSN, ATP and owner of Elite Cruises and Vacations. “This cruise is an opportunity to benefit from a wide range of programming created for the complex and stressful daily lives of Alzheimer’s caregivers and their family members,” said Shoaf. “In addition, Alaska is a top travel bucket list destination, so it is a perfect pairing. We are also happy to connect families with special needs with trained support staff so that everyone can enjoy this trip with peace of mind,” she added. Shoaf, an accessibility travel specialist with an adaptive technology professional (ATP) certification, is also a geriatric neurology specialist, with 25 years in senior care management.
Our Cruise and confrence programming is apropriate for senior care practitioners and advocates who focus on Alzheimer’s and dementia as well s caregivers and their family members with Alzheimer’s and dementia. This seven-day cruise sails to Alaska. On Holland America’s MS Eurodam and departs from Seattle. We will visit Juneau, Glacier Bay, Sitka, Ketchikan, and Victoria, Canada.
Prices start at $1,900 per person, based on double occupancy, for an inside cabin. Airfare, insurance, and gratuities are extra. All cruise reservations are required to be made by Kathy Shoaf who can be reached at (888) 826-6836 or via email at Kathy.Shoaf@cruiseplanners.com
Kathy is a Travel Expert with 20+years of clinical and management experience in Geriatric, Neurology, Rehabilitation and senior housing as an RN and Adaptive Technology Professional. She realized after years of counseling with the families of our seniors that the QUEST to enjoy life "Should Never Have to Stop". Her ability to overcome Fear and Anxiety about travel... Makes travel possible and "Bucket-List Dreams come true.
Kathy is uniquely qualified to understand travel challenges and create rational solutions. Her passion is to deliver Senior Group Cruise Events, in an environment where support and friendships increase confidence, even when accessibility challenges and clinical issues exist.
All seniors, and those afflicted with limiting diagnosis, deserve to ENJOY EVERY DAY THAT GOD GIVES US!
Her Senior Accompanied Travel programs include RN support, Integrative group conference events, Educational and supportive presentations, Respite sessions for the caregivers, Topical “Enjoy Life” activities, Supported pre-cruise group hotel and Accessible/mobility accommodations.
Let’s experience Life together without Limits
EliteCruisesAndVacationsTravel.com
888-826-6836
Brian LeBlanc
International Dementia Advocate Living with Alzheimer’s Dementia Action Alliance
Brian is Living With Alzheimer's Disease each and every day. Challenging? You bet, but not challenging himself every day is like giving up. He has too much living to do to even think about giving up.
He spends his time Advocating to Care Partner Support Groups as well as Support Groups for Persons Living with Dementia-Related Illnesses. "We have Alzheimer’s / Dementia conversations, learning from one another and supporting one another."
As the keynote speaker, Brian will present “Living with Alzheimer’s ... an Up Close and Personal look at life with Alzheimer’s Disease.” Explaining the good, the bad and the “all in between” of what's it's like to live with a disease that affects your brain which then affects everything else. He will give individuals a new perspective of the disease that is largely still misunderstood.
Travel and Accessibility Expert: Lesli Jenkins Wang
President & CEO at Free2Go Mobility Products, Inc.
Lesli Wang is fiercely committed to developing products that enhance the lifestyle of the aging and mobility impaired, enabling them to retain their independence and - most importantly - their dignity.
Her product, the Free2Go Rollator, makes it possible for those with reduced mobility to safely, confidently and discreetly use a toilet in ANY restroom - at home, the homes of others, in public restrooms. The 3-in-1 benefits of a walking aid, raised toilet seat, and toilet safety frame make it the ideal travel companion. She created the Free2Go Rollator to meet her mother's needs and recognized the product could serve people around the world.
Please visit their website. You can view this transformative product, a video with Lesli's inspiration (aka "Mom"), and how this product is changing her life - and will for many like her.
Barbara Roberts, RN
Barbara is the owner and CEO of Barbara Roberts Consulting, LLC. She has worked as a Registered Nurse in Eldercare Services for over 30 years and currently works near Kennebunk, Maine in Eldercare Services as a Nurse Consultant. She specializes in Education, Regulatory Compliance and Recertification Medication Competency. Barbara is enrolled at York County Community College with a goal of obtaining a Gerontology degree. She is a former Director of Residential Care facility specializing in Dementia Care, as well as a CRMA and CNA Instructor. Barbara is a Four Star Mariner on Holland America Cruise Line and is compassionate about helping families with loved ones with cognitive impairments.
Eric C Roberts
Eric is the loving husband of Barbara Roberts, RN. He resides with his family in Leeds, Maine. In addition to his professional responsibilities in the lay sector, he creates time and energy to actively participant in the day to day care of Barbara's mother.
As a trusted family caregiver, he seeks to communicate the health care professions and works tirelessly to establish a realistic and meaningful care plan. Eric is an amazing addition to our cruise support staff.
Ellen Masuret
Ellen is a specialist in the field of Aging, specializing in Dementia Care. She has spent 30 years working with seniors (and their families) as they age and move through the continuum of living independently in their home all the way through to nursing homes and hospice care. She has advanced training in dementia care and education. Ellen is a Certified Specialized Trainer for Second Wind Dream’s Virtual Dementia Tour.® Ellen is also a Community Educator volunteer for the Alzheimer’s Association and a Champion for the Dementia Friendly USA campaign.
Andrew Koch
Andrew is a Caregiving Educator and Psychotherapist who brings a Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal approach to family caregiver education and therapy. Andrew has been a caregiving professional for eight years and a long-distance family caregiver for three. He specializes in helping families thrive while they navigate neurocognitive and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's or Motor Neuron Disease. Andrew Koch believes that if we bring "Our Best Self" to the caregiving role, "Our Amazing Difference," will shine brightly during the long dark nights. In 2017, he founded Contemplative Caregiver LLC and you can learn more at contemplativecaregiver.com.
Saskia de Quaasteniet
As a Certified Caregiving Consultant & Educator, Saskia works with individuals in their 40's - 60's whose life, health and career are affected by the ongoing challenges of caring for their parents. She is an expert in providing coping strategies, tools and resources that help find relief from personal resentment, guilt and stress that may lead to burnout during your caregiving journey. With over 12 years of professional experience in the Caregiver Service Industry, plus hundreds of hours of research and training, Saskia is skilled in unique and effective solutions necessary to support yourself so you can support your parents the best you can.
She is a family caregiver herself since 2004, caring for her father and mother in law, who both passed away; currently a long-distance caregiver for her mom who lives overseas. Saskia is the Host and Creator of the first annual Family Caregiver Symposium: https://creatingbeingwell.com/symposium2019
Saskia is known as a caring, warmhearted and dynamic speaker who delivers high value and life-transforming content. Her presentations: "The Caregiving years: Six Stage into a Meaningful Journey" and "How to Keep Your Sanity during Caregiving" provides an insightful roadmap for your caregiving journey and helps you see the purpose of caregiving in your life. After moving on her own from Holland in 2005 to the forest of Northern Ontario and a 'detour' to the big city of Toronto for 6 years, she has now found her place of joy and bliss: Vancouver Island.
