On Wednesday, Oct. 16, the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America will be hosting a free Alzheimer’s educational conference in New Haven, Conn. The conference will have sessions hosted by local experts in Connecticut that cover topics including caregiver strategies, healthy aging tips and local resources. The conference will be held between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the Hotel Marcel in New Haven.
Chris Schneider, the director of media relations for the AFA, talked about the AFA and the educational conference in a virtual interview with The Daily Campus.
“The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America is a national non-profit organization that provides support services and education to individuals, families, and caregivers affected by dementia related illnesses nationwide,” said Schneider about the organization. “We also fund research for better [Alzheimer’s] treatment and [an Alzheimer’s] cure.”
The AFA was founded 22 years ago, and was created as “the place where families could turn to if Alzheimer’s or another dementia is in their life,” according to Schneider.
Schneider talked about the services that the AFA provides, including a help line specifically for dementia care.
“We offer a wide variety of programs and services; we have a help line which is open seven days a week and its staffed entirely by licensed social workers who were specifically trained in dementia care,” said Schneider. “They can also connect you with services in your area as well, so you can reach them by phone at 866-232-8484, by text message at 646-586-5283 or by web chatting through our website which is alzfdn.org.”
Schneider talked about the “Educating America Tour,” a national tour that travels throughout the United States to talk about Alzheimer’s and other dementia-related diseases.
“[The Educating America Tour] travels across the country, bringing free Alzheimer’s and caregiving educational conferences directly into communities to connect them with helpful information and power them with knowledge, and also let them know about different support services in the area,” said Schneider.
The conference will have “a wide variety of different things” for students to learn about, according to Schneider, including tips and strategies about how to promote good brain health, the importance of being socially and physically active, self-care strategies if you’re caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s and how social engagement promotes good cognitive wellness.
“[The AFA is] talking about healthy aging and the importance of all these different lifestyle choices… and it’s never too soon to start that, even among college kids,” said Schneider. “You may think you’re decades away from having to deal with this, but it’s never too soon to start taking care of your brain and developing these good healthy habits that can help your brain health as well as other parts of your physical health.”
Schneider also talked about the benefits for students interested in going into a professional career related to Alzheimer’s.
“If you have students who were looking to get involved in a field like healthcare or social work or elder care, you’re going to learn a lot of tips that you’ll be able to take with you after college into your career,” said Schneider.
The conference will also offer free memory screening to anyone in attendance. For students interested in the conference, registration for the event and more information about the AFA can be found at alzfdn.org.