Past Caregiver Conferences

Each year the number of conferences dedicated to educating and supporting caregivers increases providing hundreds of families and professionals with access to cutting edge information.   Whenever possible, AFTD will present materials from these conferences here for those who were unable to attend.

2010 Conferences

Webinar with Dr. Brad Boeve – April 29, 2010
AFTD and CurePSP co-sponsored a web-based training with neurologist Brad Boeve, MD, chair of AFTD’s Medical Advisory Council. He addressed “Cognitive and Behavioral Issues in PSP, CBD, FTD and PPA.” The Webinar remains available through the CurePSP website or download Dr. Boeve’s slides.

Fort Worth Caregiver Conference, Fort Worth, Texas – May 21, 2010
The Fort Worth caregiver support group and the University of North Texas Health Science Center presented the first FTD educational conference in the U.S. South Central region. A copy of the conference agenda can be found here. Slides from many of the conference presenters are also available including those of Anne Lipton, MD, who provided an overview of FTD, Barbara Hardy, RN, who spoke about the role of care facilities, Paul Higgins, MEd, and Elizabeth Taylor, PhD, who discussed strategies for helping teens and children cope, Doris Svetlik, RN, who discussed FTD symptom management, AFTD Founder and AFTD Executive Director Helen-Ann Comstock and Susan Dickinson, MS, respectively, who provided an overview of AFTD, its growth and recent initiatives, and AFTD Founding Member and Keynote Speaker Lisa Radin, who delivered Strength for the Journey – Empowering Care Partners.

2009 Conferences

University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Penn.  – July 10, 2009
In this , Penn’s 3rd bi-annual Caregiver Conference, experts in the field of FTD addressed medical causes and treatments as well as management of patient needs ,and legal and financial issues.  Sylvia Mackey, wife of noted former football player with features of FTD, was the keynote speaker.  Video of many of the day’s sessions will be uploaded to this page soon.  

Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois  –  August 10, 2009
Tiffany Chow, MD, Assistant Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry, University of Toronto, was the featured keynote speaker during this second annual FTD and PPA Caregiver and Professional Education Conference.  Sandra Weintraub, Ph.D. presented information on current research at Northwestern’s CNADC.  The day also included facilitated education and support sessions.  Conference information is available through the Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine website here.

Boston Caregiver Conference, Boston, Massachusetts – October 29, 2009
This  was the first caregiver conference held in the Boston area, hosted by Massachusetts General Hospital FTD Unit and the Association for Frontotemporal Dementias.  Topics included genetics, communication in PPA/FTD, managing difficult behaviors, and managing caregiving.  More information about this and future conferences can be obtained by emailing ftd.boston@gmail.com. A copy of the conference agenda can be found here, with audio of many sessions to be uploaded soon.

New York City Area FTD Consortium, New York, New York – November 20, 2009
The Consortium is a group of nine medical centers whose goal is to improve the diagnosis and clinical care for FTD and related diseases, as well as to promote clinical and laboratory research on FTD. This day-long conference featured general sessions on genetics, medical management and dealing with FTD behavior, as well as breakout sessions on various aspects of care management.  The materials from many of these sessions can be viewed by clicking here.

2007 Conferences

University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Penn – June 22, 2007
The second bi-annual FTD Caregiver Conference at Penn drew over 230 caregivers interested in hearing the most current information on diagnosis, care and treatment of various frontemporal dementias.  John Trojanowski, MD, University of Pennsylvania delivered an optimistic review of progress in research that will advance work on new drugs and treatments.  Video of the general sessions is available here. 

2005 Conferences

University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Penn – November 11, 2005
More than 200 caregivers and 40 health professionals from across the U.S., Canada and Scotland attended the first FTD Caregiver Conference at Penn.  Topics presented during the conference addressed the broad array of medical, care management and legal and financial issues FTD caregivers face daily.  Dr. Dan Gottlieb, a family therapist and media personality was the keynote speaker.  View video of the sessions here.