{"id":19453,"date":"2018-01-26T05:00:18","date_gmt":"2018-01-26T13:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/?p=19453"},"modified":"2026-02-22T15:33:31","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T23:33:31","slug":"navigating-memory-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/navigating-memory-care\/","title":{"rendered":"Memory Care Cruise"},"content":{"rendered":"

This fall, aboard Holland America\u2019s MS Eurdam, caregivers and seniors suffering fro\"\"<\/a>m dementia and their families will set sail to cruise the Alaskan coastline while learn moreing about the disease. The brainchild of Lisa Maria Chirico, CEO founder of\u00a0Nursinghomeology<\/a>, the event is designed to \u201cinspire and empower caregivers and their families.\u201d<\/p>\n

First-Hand Experienc<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chirico herself is no stranger to the challenges facing caregivers and family members, having had to care for her father who suffered from Alzheimer\u2019s. Kathy Shoaf, RN, BSN, ATP and the owner of Elite Cruises and Vacations, will be co-hosting the event with Chirico. Shoaf has 25 years of experience in senior care management. A specialist in accessibility travel and geriatric neurology, Shoaf also served as inspiration for the cruise.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea for a dementia-friendly cruise grew out of Kathy Shoaf’s senior-friendly, \u2018bucket list’ cruises,\u201d Chirico told\u00a0McKnight’s Senior Living\u00a0<\/a><\/em>in a recent interview. \u201cTaking the idea to another level, Kathy began seeking out senior care professionals and former caregivers turned dementia coaches and consultants \u2014 like me \u2014 to co-host a cruise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Communication and Commiseration<\/strong><\/p>\n

Boasting an esteemed lineup of senior care practitioners and professionals, attendees will be able to participate in workshops, attend sessions and \u2013 most importantly \u2013 mingle with others professionals and family members experiencing similar challenges.<\/p>\n

Featuring Brian Kursonis, Founder and President of\u00a0Faith2Care.org<\/a>\u00a0and blogger at\u00a0withAlzmyheart.com<\/a>, the cruise will also include talks from dieticians, physicians and dementia care educators. AlzAuthors<\/a> group plans to host a Book Circle, and there will also be a screening and panel discussion of the film Do You Know Me Now?,<\/em> recently awarded the Silver Remi Award from the Worldfest Houston International Film Festival.<\/p>\n

Chirico planned the event in order to provide professional caregivers, residents of assisted living and memory care communities and their families an opportunity to learn about the latest developments in dementia care while also providing a forum for discussion and commiseration. Trained support staff will be available on board for attendees in need of additional assistance, with many available for hire as well.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, Chirico hopes attendees will get the chance to \u201cshare many of the same joys and sorrows,\u201d adding, \u201cthere is the chance to build new friendships.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Beginning of a Trend<\/strong><\/p>\n

While the idea of an \u201cAlzheimer\u2019s Cruise\u201d seem unusual, Chirico previously hosted a similar event and plans to continue the cruises in 2019 as well. In a statement about this year\u2019s event, Chirico said, \u201cLike others of my generation, I left the workforce to become a full-time caregiver, and experienced a lot of challenges during those five years.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, I am focused on helping family caregivers discover their journey in a whole new way.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cConnecting Circles of Care and Bridging Bridges of Hope\u201d, a seven-day\u00a0Alaskan cruise, will bring together caregivers, medical professionals and families to bond and learn about dementia and Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":103,"featured_media":19466,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_s2mail":"yes","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,2952],"tags":[1773,1774,429,842,868],"class_list":["post-19453","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-senior-living","tag-alzheimers","tag-dementia","tag-memory-care","tag-senior-living","tag-seniors"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nYardi Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"\u201cConnecting Circles of Care and Bridging Bridges of Hope\u201d, a seven-day\u00a0Alaskan cruise, will bring together caregivers, medical professionals and families to bond and learn about dementia and Alzheimer\u2019s disease.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Memory Care Cruise\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cConnecting Circles of Care and Bridging Bridges of Hope\u201d, a seven-day\u00a0Alaskan cruise, will bring together caregivers, medical professionals and families to bond and learn about dementia and Alzheimer\u2019s disease.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/navigating-memory-care\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Yardi Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-01-26T13:00:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-22T23:33:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/01\/holland-america-alaska-cruise.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"750\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"422\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Cutright Elizabeth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Cutright Elizabeth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/navigating-memory-care\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/navigating-memory-care\/\",\"name\":\"Memory Care Cruise - 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