Kentuckians invited to take part in virtual conference on Alzheimer’s

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America is hosting a free virtual Alzheimer’s educational conference for Kentucky residents.

According to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA), the conference is part of the National Educating America Tour and will bring in medical, elder law, and dementia care experts to discuss a variety of Alzheimer’s and senior-related issues, provide tips and strategies, and information on local resources.

AFA reports more than 75,000 people in Kentucky live with Alzheimer’s disease.

The virtual conference will take place Oct. 29 from 10 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. EST and is free and open to anyone. Registration is available HERE.

“Knowledge is a useful and powerful tool that can help make any situation easier to navigate. That’s especially true now as more than 75,000 Kentucky 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.”

According to AFA, 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:

• Alzheimer’s Disease: Past & Present Perspectives – Frederick A. Schmitt, Ph.D., will describe how our knowledge and concepts about Alzheimer’s disease have advanced over the past century.  He will also familiarize attendees with other dementia-related disorders.  Dr. Schmitt will discuss current Alzheimer’s therapeutic trials and help caregivers understand the current approaches and recommendations for risk reduction.  Dr. Schmitt is a Professor in the Departments of Neurology, Neurosurgery, Psychiatry, Behavioral Science and Psychology at the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging at the University of Kentucky and a member of AFA’s Medical, Scientific and Memory Screening Advisory Board.
• Legal Documents You Can’t Live Without – Letha Sgritta McDowell, a Certified Elder Law Attorney with the National Elder Law Foundation who is a Board Certified Specialist in Elder and Special Needs Law, will talk about legal documents which are critical to have in place in order to be able to effectively care for someone with Alzheimer’s disease.  She will discuss the terms of a durable power of attorney, care agreements, shared expense agreements, HIPAA waivers, and more.  Letha will review which documents are essential for care planning, asset protection, and planning for the future.
• Prepare to Care– Deborah Turner, from AARP Kentucky, will provide caregivers with a good framework to guide them and their loved ones in order to make the caregiving process easier.  She will talk about connecting with other family caregivers, exchanging tips and advice, and learning about available resources.

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 an online web chat system (available in 90+ languages) HERE by clicking the blue and white chat icon in the right hand corner of the page.