Designing and delivering a virtual dementia conference
Key points
- Virtual conferences can be as engaging as in-person events when they use interactive features like chat, Q&A, and live simulations.
- Record all sessions and offer them on-demand to accommodate caregivers' unpredictable schedules.
- Include family caregivers as presenters—their lived experience is invaluable and deeply relatable.
- Tailor content to different stages of dementia, roles (spouse vs. adult child), and professional needs.
- Keep technology simple and provide clear instructions to reduce stress for attendees with limited tech skills.
- Gather feedback after the conference to improve future events and ensure they meet the community's needs.
General caregiving information, not medical advice. Check medications and major care changes with your clinician.
Step-by-step
Use a simple platform like Zoom; test thoroughly, provide clear log-in instructions, and design for accessibility from the start.
Include interactive elements: chat, Q&A, live polls, and hands-on simulations to create a sense of live community.
Record every session and make recordings available on-demand for caregivers with unpredictable schedules.
Offer continuing education credits for live and recorded attendance to add value for healthcare professionals.
Pair family caregivers with clinicians on the program—lived experience resonates with other caregivers and adds authenticity.
Foster ongoing connection through chat, breakout rooms, and post-conference groups like a continuing memory café.
Tailor content to different dementia stages and caregiver roles, letting attendees choose sessions relevant to their situation.
Gather feedback via surveys after the event and use it to improve future conferences.
What not to do
Don't ignore emotional pacing—caregivers are often exhausted or in crisis; build in breaks, avoid back-to-back heavy topics, and explicitly permit stepping away.
Practical tools
Zoom with chat, Q&A, polls, and breakout rooms
Use Zoom for ease of use and built-in engagement. Enable chat, Q&A, live polls, and breakout rooms. Test audio/video beforehand and offer a brief tutorial at start for first-time users.
WHOVA conference app
Centralize scheduling, speaker bios, networking, and resource sharing in an app like WHOVA to add navigation and community beyond the main video platform.
On-demand video library
Host all recorded sessions in a searchable library (e.g., YouTube unlisted or Vimeo) for anytime access, turning the event into a lasting resource.
Pre-event tech guide with live support
Send a one-page guide with screenshots for logging in, using chat, muting, and accessing recordings. Pair with a live tech support contact during the event.
Closed captioning and transcripts
Enable live captioning (Zoom built-in or Otter.ai/Rev) and provide written transcripts for recordings to support attendees with hearing differences, non-native speakers, and those who process written information better.
Discuss with your clinician
If you are considering including sessions on medication management or antipsychotic use, discuss the content with a clinician to ensure it aligns with current best practices and safety guidelines (source [17]).
For sessions on advance care planning or end-of-life decisions, consult with a healthcare provider to ensure the information is accurate and appropriate for the audience (source [18]).
If the conference will address palliative care or hospice referral, have a clinician review the materials to ensure they are clinically sound and sensitive (source [14]).
Related guides
- Recognizing the caregiver awareness journey in dementia care
- Finding Your People Online: A Guide for Spouse Caregivers of Alzheimer’s and PCA
- Emergency medical information sharing tools
- Caregiving techniques for attention deficits in dementia
- caregiver leadership and self-advocacy
- cross-cultural learning from elders with dementia
- music-based memory activities
- Involving people with dementia and caregivers in policy