October 16, 2008

SIU Med School Co-Sponsors Alzheimer Family Caregiver Conference

Alzheimer’s disease is the topic of a two-day conference to be presented next month by the Center for Alzheimer Disease and Related Disorders (CADRD) at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, the Illinois Department on Aging and the Alzheimer’s Association, Greater Illinois Chapter.  The conference will be held 7:15 a.m. – 4 p.m. Thursday and Friday, November 13–14, at the Crowne Plaza, 3000 S. Dirksen Parkway, Springfield.

The first day of the conference will provide general information and caregiving strategies to family caregivers about the disease as well as information on services available through SIU’s center and the Alzheimer’s Association.

Thursday’s sessions for family caregivers begin at 8:15 a.m. with “Overview of Alzheimer’s Disease.”  The other morning sessions are “We Have a Diagnosis: Now What?” (9:15 a.m.) and “Please Get to Know Me: Staying Connected Despite Dementia” (10:30 a.m.).  Afternoon sessions begin at 12:30 p.m. with “Understanding Rights of Older Persons.”  Remaining sessions are “Handling the Everyday Moments: Understanding Behaviors as Communication” (1:45 p.m.) and “The Dance of Belonging: Caring with Someone with Dementia” (2:45 p.m.).

The second day of the conference on Friday is for health care providers and will cover a variety of topics.  The guest speaker is Dr. Stephen Salloway, director of neurology and the Memory and Aging Program at Butler Hospital and professor of clinical neurosciences and psychiatry at Alpert Medical School at Brown University.

The registration fee for Thursday’s conference is $20 before Nov. 3 and $25 after Nov. 3.  Friday’s conference registration fee is $60 before Nov. 3 and $70 after Nov. 3.  Registration for both days can be made online at www.alz.org/illinois or by phone.  To register or for more information, contact Leslie Randolph, SIU CADRD, at 217-545-7181 weekdays.

-30-