On Feb. 10, Glenmeadow hosted a gathering of eldercare professionals in the region to hear keynote speaker Dr. Susan Megas talk about navigating early-stage dementia.

Megas will also offer her talk, “Signs and Signals: Helping Families Navigate Early-Stage Dementia,” on Feb. 24 for the public. She will cover how to detect the early signs of dementia and where individuals should go for diagnosis and treatment. Megas, the coordinator of Baystate Health’s Memory Disorders Program, will also give advice on helping individuals and their families cope with the effects of the disease. The events are free. Registration is required; call 413-567-7800 or email Linda Edwards, Glenmeadow’s director of marketing, at ledwards@glenmeadow.org.

Megas is an advanced practice nurse who holds a doctoral degree in nursing practice. She is also an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine. Megas’ practice focuses on dementia and caregiver issues, adult behavioral health, and research. She has worked at Baystate Health for 21 years after having earned a Master’s of Science degree in nursing from Yale University School of Nursing in New Haven, Conn., and a Doctorate of Nursing from Vanderbuilt University in Nashville, Tenn.

Megas was originally scheduled to speak on Jan. 27 at a meeting of the Western Massachusetts Eldercare Professionals Association, but that meeting was cancelled due to snow. This gathering is open to all elder care professionals, regardless of association membership.