SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Alberta roots musician and songwriter Donna Durand will introduce Yellowknife music fans to her new album with a concert at Javaroma beginning at 7 p.m. tomorrow night.

Roots musician and songwriter Donna Durand performs an all-ages concert at Javaroma beginning at 7 p.m. tomorrow. - graphic courtesy of Donna Durand

In addition to her musical career, Durand also teaches caregivers about supporting people with Alzheimer's as professional educator with the Alzheimer's society of Alberta/NWT.

On Friday night Durand will meet with society volunteers in Yellowknife. She will lead an Alzheimer's caregiving workshop open to the public at the Explorer Hotel from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday. Preregistration is required.

Working alongside Alberta author Caterina Edwards, Durand will discuss how storytelling, images, and music can help evoke important feelings and events in the life of a person with Alzheimer's disease.

"We'll be using song and story to help people access some of their own emotional memories and feelings to better understand the experience of someone who has Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia," Durand explained.

"The point of this project is to create a deeper empathy in terms of care providers, whether they are a front line worker in a hospital or whether they are a family caregiver."

The message of the workshop is that Alzheimer's disease and its effect on an individual is a small part of a person's life story and that there remains a rich experience deserving of shared reflection.

"We're going to share some ideas about how to tap into those memories," Durand said.

To register for the workshop presented by the Alzheimer's society of Alberta/NWT on dementia and emotional memory, contact Martha MacLellan.

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