Self Care Suite

DoTerra Essential Oils

Marty has a passion for exploring all paths to wellness. As a massage therapist and former wellness center owner, she now travels from her home in Heber City, Utah (USA) to teach about natural health approaches focused on the therapeutic use of doTERRA essential oils. She is a yoga practitioner and RYT-200 Yoga Instructor who co-authored the successful book, The EssentialYoga Program that brings oils into yoga workshops; creator of an online training program called the EssentialYoga Academy; and the owner of Essential Earth Explorations – a group travel company focused on essential oil production and sustainable living. Marty loves gathering people together for common purpose, and continues to organize community gatherings, fundraisers and networking groups to connect with others on the wellness path. She is a world traveler who finds great joy in helping others discover their true nature, through nature.

Keynote Speaker

PhD, FAGHE, FGSA

Dr. Dassel is an associate professor and Interim Assistant Dean in the Gerontology Interdisciplinary Program in the College of Nursing at the University of Utah. Dassel earned her doctoral degree in Gerontology from the University of Kentucky. Following graduation, she completed a two-year post-doctoral fellowship in the Neuropsychology and Neuroimaging Laboratory at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona. She is a Fellow in the Gerontological Society of America, the Academy for Gerontology in Higher Education, and the Academy of Health Science Educators. Her research interests focus on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) end-of-life care planning and caregiver health outcomes. With funding from the National Alzheimer’s Association, she and her research team are conducting an online advance care planning intervention for persons with ADRD and their family members. Dassel is a member of the editorial boards of The Gerontologist, Educational Gerontology, and the Journal of the Academy of Health Science Educators. She serves as the project lead of Community Education and Outreach for the Utah Geriatric Education Consortium. On a community level, Dassel has served on the professional advisory board of State Chapters of the Alzheimer’s Association since 2015.

A Clinical  Perspective On Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia

M.D. Medical Director for Auberge Aspen Park 

Born in Lander, Wyoming and raised in the shadow of the Wind River Mountains, Dr. Steve Fehlauer received his undergraduate education at Utah State University. While a student at USU he met his wife Roxanne when both were working as nurse’s aides at Sunshine Terrace nursing home. He attended the University of Utah Medical School where he received his medical degree. A residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Utah followed and Dr. Fehlauer was honored with the Outstanding Internal Medicine Resident Award. He pursued fellowship training in Geriatric Medicine at the University of Utah and moved from his fellowship to the faculty of the School of Medicine at the University of Utah. While on the faculty he held appointments as a VA GRECC Research Investigator and as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine. Dr. Fehlauer conducted research on the use of computers in bedside medical practice and on means of detecting delirium from nursing clinical data. Following through on his interests in long-term care and dementia, Dr. Fehlauer left the University of Utah in 1995 to enter private practice as a Medical Director of nursing facilities and the attending physician for nursing facility residents. Dr. Fehlauer has served as the Corporate Medical Director for a regional nursing facility corporation and as a member of the Medical Advisory Board for a national nursing facility corporation. Dr. Fehlauer is currently Medical Director for Auberge Aspen Park. In 2003 Dr. Fehlauer was honored by the Utah Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his work for the Association and his patients with dementia. Dr. Fehlauer is married to Roxanne and has 4 children.

Music and the Brain

Jewish Family Service

Rosemary is the Older Adult Care Manager at Jewish Family Service. Rosemary grew up in the Detroit area and graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in sociology. After raising three children she enrolled in graduate school at the University of Utah and earned a master’s degree in human development social policy with a graduate certificate in gerontology. Upon completion of a gerontology practicum with Jewish Family Service in 2015, she was hired by the agency to continue to provide services to older adults.

Rosemary oversees the SNAP assistance program, Music and Memory, Caregiver Support Groups, and Memory Café, and has developed new programs to meet the needs of caregivers during the time of COVID-19. Rosemary loves interacting directly with her clients and is passionate about finding creative ways to enhance the lives of people living with dementia.

Capturing Life and Memories

The Listening Ear Project

Katie is a former home health nurse who is passionate about sharing stories from the senior generation.

After caring for her grandfather while he had dementia and spending years working as a geriatric nurse, she learned firsthand how important it is to be a listening ear for seniors and share their wisdom with the world.

In 2015, Katie founded The Listening Ear Project, a video documenting business where she has interviewed and filmed over a hundred life stories of elderly people who have become dear friends. She created The Listening Ear Project as a way to be a listening ear for this generation and to share their incredible stories that deserve to be heard.

Katie lives in Lehi with her husband and two young children. She loves discovering new restaurants, exploring the mountains, taking ballet classes, and following the advice of her wise older friends, spending as much time as possible with her friends and family.

Make-up, Grooming, and Hair for Loved Ones

FiftyFilms

With 17 years of experience under her set-belt, Dawn McFarland has been a client, crew, and talent favorite. Specializing in helping women and men look their best in front of the camera, Dawn is also a producer and production designer, and has been accused by many of being •the most prepared person on set.•

Dawn has worked with celebrities and public figures for film, television, and commercial projects, and is a co-owner of Fiftyfilms, a Salt Lake City film production company. Dawn has a degree from BYU in Communication Studies. She is the mother of three exquisitely groomed children, loves to travel with her husband, Rick, and is a photographer with special interest in art and street photography.

Gleeful Choir

Director Gleeful Choir

Emily is a board-certified music therapist and director of Crescendo Music Therapy. She completed her undergraduate degree in Music Therapy from Utah State University and her graduate degree from the University of Utah in Gerontology. Emily specializes in hospice, dementia and general elder care. Her company contracts with hospice agencies, nursing facilities, non-profits and private clients across Utah to provide music therapy services. Emily is the director of the Gleeful Choir, a chorus for dementia care partners, and is a board member of the Utah Creative Aging Coalition. Emily absolutely loves her clinical work, and is endlessly amazed at witnessing the astounding effects that music has on the quality of life of her clients.

Keys to Prevention: How to Turn Back the Clock on Diseases of the Brain

M.D., Plant Based Utah

Dr. Tom Rosenberg grew up in Northern Utah and attended the University of Utah Medical School. Rosenberg co-founded the Fitness Institute at LDS Hospital in 1980, The Orthopedic Specialty Hospital (TOSH) in Salt Lake City in 1991, the Rosenberg Cooley Metcalf Clinic in Park City, Utah in 1998, the non-profit nutrient supplementation company, Nutriex in 1999 and the ProHealth Lab (now LiveWell). He is known for his innovations in knee surgery and his passion for preventive health.

Caregiver Support: Resources and Resilience

SLCo Aging and Adult Services

Kathy works at Salt Lake County Aging and Adult Services. She is the author of The Caregiver Academy, Caregiver Talking Points, the Managing Care Guide, and the Creating Joy Booklet. She is a family caregiver, coach, Master Trainer, and volunteer. She has over 20 years’ experience in providing care to others and works to provide family care management education and other events that promote creative caregiving.

Healthy Dwellings for Dementia Caregivers

Dayhouse Studio

Dorothy Day Huntsman is a founder and owner of Dayhouse Studio, an interior design firm using biophilic design to connect people with nature and self-care. Her multifaceted approach to creating sustainable and health-focused interiors integrates aesthetics, functionality, and cross-disciplinary research. She holds a degree in English from Columbia University.

Healthy Dwellings for Dementia Caregivers

PhD, OMNI Self-care

Dr. Grzegorz Bulaj, PhD is the founder of OMNI Self-care, LLC, and an Associate Professor in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Utah. His cross-disciplinary work includes empowerment interventions and integration of diverse therapeutic modalities to improve treatment outcomes for chronic diseases. He holds a PhD degree in biochemistry from the University of Wroclaw, Poland.

Effective Communication

Alzheimer’s Association Utah Chapter

Michele spent her professional career as a sales and marketing executive in the tech industry. The past four years, she has been a volunteer for the Alzheimer’s Association working as a Community Educator and on the Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Michele studies continually to stay up to date on advancements in dementia research and care. She has read countless books and articles and attended a wide variety of training sessions to stay current on the progress in Alzheimer’s treatments. Like many of us, Michele has had first-hand experience caring for a family member and a dear friend battling this terrible disease. She is passionate about helping others through their journey of caregiving and living with Alzheimer’s.

Michele and her husband moved to Utah fifteen years ago. They enjoy hiking, skiing, golf, yoga and just being outside in this beautiful state. She holds degrees in French and Education and studied at Cal State Fullerton, Chapman University and Universite de Aix-en-Provence.

Beginning, Middle and Late Stages of Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s Association Utah Chapter

Julia has served in a variety of roles for the Alzheimer’s Association of Utah since 2015 where she began as an intern and volunteer. She is currently a Program Manager, where her focus is on the delivery of care and support programs, and volunteer recruitment and management for Northern Utah. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Health Promotion and Education with an emphasis on emergency medical services and a master’s degree in gerontology from the University of Utah.

Understanding and Acknowledging Caregiver Grief

PhD., MSW, MS, LCSW

Troy is an Associate Professor at the University of Utah in the College of Social Work. In this capacity he serves as the Executive Director of the WD Goodwill Initiatives on Aging. Dr. Andersen worked for 13 years as a dementia specialist clinical social worker at the Center for Alzheimer’s Care, Imaging and Research at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Dr. Andersen received his PhD in Social Work with an emphasis in developing proactive dementia care services for individuals in the early stages of the disease and other aging related topics. In addition to his graduate work in social work, Dr. Andersen also has an MS in Gerontology from the U of U, College of Nursing.

Outside of work, he lives to be outdoors. He has a second home near Capitol Reef and enjoys being there as much as possible. He is the proud father of 5 and 11 grandchildren.

Beginning, Middle and Late Stages of Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s Association Utah Chapter

Wendy has been involved in the elder health care field for over 18 years. She began her career as a special education teacher and has worked with those having special needs since her teens. She and her husband, Joe, moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1991 and just recently moved back to Utah! They opened a non-medical home care agency in 2004, where they began their journey into the senior care industry. She started as a volunteer with the Alzheimer’s Association over 16 years ago and has been teaching their community education classes. She has served on a variety of boards and committees over the years assisting the mission of providing support for caregivers and persons with life-limiting aging needs. She recently started as the Development Manager for Northern Utah for Cache Valley and Weber/Davis Counties. She's the mother of 4 children and proud grandma of Joston and DaniLynn! She's a wealth of information about community resources for individuals living with dementia and their loved one's.

The Game of Life: Legal Aspects of Alzheimer’s 

JD, RCP, Snider Law Group

Kent Snider is a board-certified Respiratory Therapist and Elder Law attorney, with over 30 years of experience. This diverse background gives Mr. Snider the unique ability to understand and navigate a patient’s social, medical and legal needs. He has directed departments in Critical Care ICU’s. Skilled Nursing facilities, Home Care and Hospice.

In 2015 Mr. Snider Formed the Snider Law Group with the goal of helping patients and health care providers navigate complex legal/healthcare issues. Mr. Snider is always willing to meet pro bono (free) with healthcare providers, patients, and family members to answer questions regarding Estate Planning, Special Needs, Trusts, Asset Protection Trusts, Medicaid, Power of Attorney, Health Care Directives, Guardianships and Conservatorships.

Professionally Mr. Snider is a member of the Utah State Bar, the American Bar Association, and the American Inns of Court. He has served on two hospital boards and is a frequent guest lecturer at BYU, UVU and the University of Utah.

Kent and his wife Laurie are the proud parents of six children and five grandchildren.