Join Calvert Libraries and Loretta Woodward Veney, healthcare advocate expert, as she speaks about: what it means to be an advocate, best practices for advocating for others and ourselves, seeking and finding the help you need, preparing for medical appointments, planning for emergencies, what to do when things go wrong, and defining the role of an Ombudsman. Discussion to follow.
Loretta Woodward Veney is a motivational speaker and trainer who has delivered more than 300 speeches and presentations on dementia and caregiving since 2014 and she offers a wealth of information, encouragement and humor to her audiences. Throughout her life Loretta, author of Being My Mom’s Mom (2nd edition 2019) , Colors Flowing from My Mind (2019) and Refreshment for the Caregiver’s Spirit (2nd edition 2020), has chronicled family events through journals, photos, and videos, seeking to capture every moment. Her documentation came in very handy in 2006 after her beloved mother Doris became the first female in the family to suffer from dementia. Loretta began learning everything about the disease becoming a fierce advocate for her Mom in the process. Loretta and her Mom have been featured in articles in the Wall Street Journal, Psychology Today, The Washington Post, The NY Times, AARP Caregiver Stories, as well as a PBS special entitled Alzheimer’s the Caregiver’s Perspective. In 2019, Loretta was selected as Trailblazer of the Year by Johns Hopkins Medicine.