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SHARE for Dementia is an evidence-based care-planning program that empowers adults with early-stage dementia and their families to get the most out of today while planning for tomorrow.
SHARE fills an important gap in dementia care by engaging the person with early-stage dementia and their care partner in planning for the future through discussions about symptoms, care values and preferences, and healthy activities.
“There are some very powerful conversations during the SHARE sessions. Each person has permission to care for themselves, and the person who has dementia is confident that their care partner will make good decisions down the road." - SHARE Counselor
The six-session SHARE program is designed to engage both the person with early- or mid-stage dementia and their care partner in discussions about symptoms, communication, care values and preferences, healthy activities and planning for the future.
SHARE involves the person living with early-stage dementia visually as well as verbally, enabling them to participate in making decisions about how to best handle their daily activities should the time come that they need assistance with things such as managing finances, food shopping and preparation, personal hygiene or other tasks. Read more on the SHARE Fact Sheet.
For many, it’s a welcome “step one” after diagnosis that offers guidance, support and comfort to both the person with dementia and their family.
Easy-to-Use iPad App Guides the Process
Families utilize a free, intuitive SHARE iPad App to begin the communication process and coordinate care options. The iPad app lists tasks that could be assigned to either their care partner, family and friends, or service providers.
Full training for SHARE counselors
This program is available to professional organizations who serve older adults living with dementia and their family care partners. SHARE Counselors can be social workers, geriatric case managers, counselors, program educators, nurses and other professionals who work with older adults and their families.
SHARE Counselors participate in an interactive online training course, complete with videos to demonstrate techniques, exercises to solidify knowledge and real case examples to highlight concepts. They also have access to SHARE Counselor Coaching to enhance their training, and both counselors and families receive written manuals for ongoing reference.
Evidence-based program with proven results
SHARE is based on two decades of research by the Center for Research and Education, part of the Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging and one of the nation’s premier centers for applied aging research.
The research indicates that individuals with early-stage dementia benefit from an intervention that increases their active participation in their care plan. Outcomes include:
- High program satisfaction
- Improved communication
- Increased use of services
- Development of a care plan for the future
Read about SHARE on the pre-approved list of evidence-based programs available on the National Council on Aging (NCOA) website.
For more information, fill out the below form, email us at share@benrose.org, or call 216-373-1693
The “BPC Approved” badge is given to dementia caregiving programs that pass strict criteria for inclusion in Best Practice Caregiving, a database of the top dementia caregiving programs in the U.S.
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SHARE for Dementia Q&A
Read this Q&A interview to learn why SHARE was developed and what makes it so effective.
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Leadership
Leadership
Silvia Orsulic-Jeras
Research Associate, SHARE Program Manager
Contact: share@benrose.org | (216) 373-1625
Silvia Orsulic-Jeras is a Research Associate and the SHARE Program Manager at Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging. Orsulic-Jeras has over 20 years of experience in the development, testing, implementation and translation of a variety of psychosocial interventions for individuals living with dementia and their family caregivers, as well as those managing multiple chronic health conditions. Her experiences working with individuals living with dementia in an applied research setting have contributed to her focus on the development and testing of psychosocial interventions for individuals living with dementia and their family caregivers.
Silvia Orsulic-Jeras is a Research Associate and the SHARE Program Manager at Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging. Orsulic-Jeras has over 20 years of experience in the development, testing, implementation and translation of a variety of psychosocial interventions for individuals living with dementia and their family caregivers, as well as those managing multiple chronic health conditions. Her experiences working with individuals living with dementia in an applied research setting have contributed to her focus on the development and testing of psychosocial interventions for individuals living with dementia and their family caregivers.
Her training in counseling and strength-based methods makes her uniquely qualified in her work with individuals in the early, moderate and advanced stages of dementia with special training focused on intervention development and activities programming in both individual and group forums. In addition, Orsulic-Jeras has extensive experience in product development and commercialization of evidence-based programs.
Orsulic-Jeras earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Cleveland State University, and a Master of Arts in Community Counseling with a special emphasis on counseling techniques for the aging population from John Carroll University. Prior to joining Benjamin Rose in 2007, Orsulic-Jeras was a Research Associate at the Myers Research Institute of Menorah Park Center for Senior Living in Beachwood, Ohio.