The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) will host a free virtual educational conference as part of its national Educating America Tour to help Connecticut residents affected by Alzheimer’s disease, caregivers, and anyone who wants to learn more about the disease, on Tuesday, November 17, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. EST. The conference, which is free and open to everyone, will provide information and advice from health and caregiving experts. To register, go to www.alzfdn.org/tour.
“Knowledge is a useful and powerful tool that can help make any situation easier to navigate. That’s especially true now as approximately 80,000 Connecticut families are caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr., AFA’s President & CEO. “We want individuals who are caring for someone with Alzheimer’s to know about the resources available to help them and steps that they can take to improve their loved one’s care and quality of life. This conference will bring that information directly to families without having to leave their homes.”
Dr. Mehmet Oz, host of The Dr. Oz Show, will be a guest speaker and share his family’s personal Alzheimer’s story regarding the diagnosis of his mother, Suna Oz, last year. Dr. Oz will describe how the diagnosis impacted his family, as well as share tips to promote good brain health and healthy aging.
Sessions during the AFA virtual conference will include:
- More than Memory: Approach to Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Alzheimer’s Disease– Although the most defining feature of Alzheimer’s disease is memory impairment, there are other distressing symptoms such as depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance, agitation, and psychosis. Kristina Zdanys, M.D., will talk about the significant challenges which these symptoms present for patients and their caregivers. She will describe the behavioral and psychiatric symptoms seen in Alzheimer’s, as well as common non-pharmacological and pharmacological approaches to care. Dr. Zdanys is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, Chief of the Division of Geriatric Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Program Director of Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship, and Co-Director of the James E.C. Walker Memory Assessment Program at UCONN Health.
- Planning for Long-Term Care: Directives and Strategies– Lisa Nachmias Davis, Esq., a Certified Elder Law Attorney with the National Elder Law Foundation, and Co-Founder of Davis O’Sullivan & Priest LLC, Attorneys at Law, in New Haven, CT, will provide strategies for long-term care planning and prioritizing and delegating responsibilities. She will talk about what documents you should have in place and discuss important questions about estate planning, powers of attorney, guardianships, probates, and trusts.
- Choosing to care– Amy Goyer, National Family & Caregiving Expert with AARP and author of “Juggling Life, Work, and Caregiving,” will share her journey as a caregiver for her father, Robert, who has advanced Alzheimer’s disease. She will provide practical resources, guidance, and strategies for caregivers to help them improve the level of care and quality of life. Amy will discuss the challenges that caregivers face and the strategies that she utilized to make sure that her father has the best possible care. She will talk about how she balances her personal life, career, and caregiving responsibilities.
For more information or to register, go to www.alzfdn.org/tour. Those who can’t participate in the virtual conference or have immediate questions about Alzheimer’s disease can connect with licensed social workers seven days a week through AFA’s National Toll-Free Helpline at 866-232-8484 or via our online web chat system (available in 90+ languages) at www.alzfdn.org by clicking the blue and white chat icon in the right hand corner of the page.
About Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA)
The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide support, services and education to individuals, families and caregivers affected by Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias nationwide and to fund research for better treatment and a cure. Its services include a National Toll-Free Helpline (866-232-8484) staffed by licensed social workers, the National Memory Screening Program, educational conferences and materials, and “AFA Partners in Care” dementia care training for healthcare professionals. For more information about AFA, call 866-232-8484, visit www.alzfdn.org, follow us on Twitter or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn. AFA has earned Charity Navigator’s top 4-star rating for six consecutive years.
