Alzheimer's University, a day-long event for caregivers, healthcare providers and dementia sufferers to learn more about living with dementia, will be Thursday at Columbia Gas/NiSource Auditorium.
The one-day conference is open to the public, and will include discussions on the basics of Alzheimer's and other dementias, the legal and financial concerns that come with the diseases, tips for working with healthcare providers and other tools for coping with an Alzheimer's or dementia diagnosis. The event costs $10 a person, and 4.5 Social Work & Nursing CEUs and Physician CMEs can be approved for an additional $20 fee paid directly to CAMC Health Education & Research Institute at conclusion of program.
"We're excited to pull together family and professional caregivers in the Charleston community," said Carolyn Canini, program director for the Alzheimer's Association West Virginia Chapter, the organization hosting the event. "Alzheimer's & Dementia University gives care partners tools and resources to provide care to their loved ones throughout each stage of the disease."
Speakers for the event include Dr. James Griffith, director of the Internal Medicine/Psychiatry Residency Training Program at CAMC, and Brent Van Deysen, an attorney specializing in elder law.
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive degenerative brain disease that affects 5.4 million Americans. It causes cognitive decline and a loss in the ability to perform routine tasks. It is most common in people 65 and older, though roughly 10 percent of those diagnosed have early-onset Alzheimer's and are in their 30s, 40s or 50s. Age is the biggest factor in determining a person's chance of developing Alzheimer's, but other risk factors include lack of exercise, smoking, diabetes and depression.
According to a report released earlier this year by the Alzheimer's Association, 37,000 West Virginians currently suffer from Alzheimer's, and rates of the disease are expected to grow by nearly 20 percent by 2025 to roughly 44,000.
To learn more or to register for Alzheimer's & Dementia University for Families & Professionals, call 1-800-272-3900 or visit www.alz.org/wv.
Reach Lydia Nuzum at lydia.nuzum@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5189 or follow @lydianuzum on Twitter.