Groundbreaking conference to guide leaders
of Florida-based Alzheimer's groups…
Aging population prompts need for enhanced support
NEW YORK, April 12 /PRNewswire/ --
Executives of Florida-based organizations will gather on May 2 and 3
for a groundbreaking conference designed to help them meet the
pressing challenges of servicing individuals with Alzheimer's
disease and their caregivers, especially as a potential swell of new
clients looms in line with the growing aging population in the
state.
The Alzheimer's Foundation of
America (AFA) is presenting the training conference, called "Caring
for the Community," with an unrestricted educational grant from
Forest Laboratories, Inc.
Approximately 150 executives of
grassroots Alzheimer's organizations, adult day programs, long-term
care facilities and related groups will attend the two-day meeting
at the Wyndham Palace Resort and Spa in the Walt Disney World
Resort, Lake Buena Vista, FL. For more information, call AFA at
(toll- free) 866-AFA-8484.
"Florida organizations are
committed to being the best they can be. But they are being
stretched thinner and thinner to keep pace with the state's aging
population. Our goal is to share the best practices of care that
will better prepare them for today and the demands of tomorrow,"
said Eric J. Hall, AFA's chief executive officer.
Prominent experts will guide
officials on two major fronts: how to enhance their services based
on the latest understanding of the disease and appropriate treatment
options for all stages; and how to bolster their organization's
capacity and successful outcomes to meet the needs of more and more
families, including multi-ethnic groups.
Among the presenters, Eric
Pfeiffer, M.D., director of the Suncoast Gerontology Center at the
University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa, will discuss
the state of Alzheimer's disease today.
"It used to be said that you
couldn't make a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease until you had a
brain autopsy. Today, we can make the diagnosis in the living
patient at any stage of the disease with about 90 to 95 percent
accuracy. Moreover, in the last few years, Alzheimer's disease has
become a treatable disorder. It is therefore highly desirable to
make the diagnosis as early as possible, and to begin treatment as
soon as a diagnosis is made," Pfeiffer said.
On a personal note, actress Deidre
Hall, best known for creating the role of Dr. Marlena Evans on "Days
of Our Lives," will share her family's experience with Alzheimer's
disease.
Attendees will also have the rare
opportunity to voice their concerns during a town hall session,
laying the groundwork to enhance advocacy efforts for government
support for the most urgent community-based care initiatives.
AFA tapped Florida for its
first-ever training conference for Alzheimer's- related
organizations due to the estimated 500,000 residents with the
disease, and the projection that the number of cases there will
nearly double by 2030. Florida has the highest percentage of
residents aged 65 and older of any state in the nation, and it
remains the top destination spot for retirees.
Alzheimer's disease, which results
in loss of memory and other intellectual functions, strikes one in
ten aged 65 and older and nearly one in two aged 85 and older. Age
poses the greatest risk factor.
The Alzheimer's Family
Organization, New Port Richey, FL, is one agency that is already
financially squeezed -- and bracing for an influx of more clients.
Its service area, which includes 100,000 people with Alzheimer's
disease, contains some of Florida's fastest growing counties.
"This is an overwhelming number of
people to try to service, and it's exacerbated by the fact that much
of the area is rural. Lack of public transportation puts a
tremendous strain on caregivers to secure health care, and greatly
challenges us to reach the rural composite of our service area,"
said Dominick DePetrillo, the organization's executive director.
Organizations are also facing
pressure to develop appropriate support services for a growing
number of clients now being diagnosed in earlier stages of
Alzheimer's disease, thanks to greater awareness of the disorder and
more accessibility to sound diagnostic services, according to Mary
M. Barnes, president and CEO of Alzheimer's Community Care, Inc.,
Palm Beach, FL.
To address this pressing health
concern even further, AFA is piggybacking this meeting with another
educational conference for those coping with this disease from
another vantage point: family and professional caregivers. Called
"Concepts in Care," the meeting will be held on May 3, also at the
Wyndham Palace Resort and Spa in the Walt Disney World Resort, Lake
Buena Vista, FL.
Now,
keep up to date with daily feeds of newly posted stories about America's
Seniors...click on the box to the left