Annual Alzheimer’s Conference will offer New Information, New Hope

A September 14, 2001 conference at the Bryant Conference Center in Tuscaloosa will reinforce recent research findings that early intervention can help seniors live longer, more productive lives. According to Richard E. Powers, M.D., Director of the Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation Bureau of Geriatric Psychiatry, "recent breakthroughs in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease show the value of early detection, and news studies show that medications can slow the progression of Alzheimer’s symptoms by more than two years." Powers said that people with Alzheimer’s disease need a combination of physical, mental and spiritual care to sustain their quality of life.

Governor Don Siegelman and officials with the Department of Public Health, the Department of Senior Services and the Department of Mental Health/Mental Retardation agree that quality long-term care is an important option for Alabama’s aging population. That is why these advocates for Alabama’s senior citizens helped develop new regulations for assisted living facilities and designated "specialty care assisted living facilities" for patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

Appropriate staffing and treatment/intervention techniques for these specialty facilities will be one topic for the September conference. Other conference goals include teaching professionals from nursing homes and assisted living facilities how to care for patients with dementia; providing the latest information on effective therapies to slow the progression of intellectual loss in older persons; and discussion of common problems—weight loss, falls and bed sores will be discussed at length—encountered in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

According to Dr. Powers, "A coalition, including the Governor’s office, family advocates, and industry and state regulators, has worked hard to improve the regulations that protect older persons with dementia." The new regulations for assisted living facilities, which increase the number of staff, assure basic training, monitor important quality of life issues and address safety issues in physical facilities, were implemented after a series of incidents that involved poor care of patients and/or serious injuries.

Alabama officials look forward to the award-winning Alzheimer’s conference each year. "People tell me it is one of the best in the region," said DMH/MR Commissioner Kathy Sawyer. "It’s one of the most important educational programs for the long-term care industry," said Rick Harris, Director of the Bureau of Health Provider Standards with the Alabama Department of Public Health. Department of Senior Services Commissioner Dr. Melissa Galvin agrees. "This conference is immensely helpful to professionals who care for Alzheimer’s patients," she said.

Galvin will provide the luncheon address, outlining the governor’s plan to improve long-term care in Alabama. The conference will also focus on the many strategies seniors can employ to slow aging and prevent disability. "Basic healthcare practices such as exercise, weight reduction, smoking cessation, control of alcohol intake and maintaining an active spiritual life can prolong wellness for older people," Powers said.

Overall, Powers points out, "We need to replace the old perceptions of aging that included disability, despair and death with a more positive attitude that includes hope, health and happiness." The conference will encourage healthcare workers to adopt this positive attitude.

For further information, contact the Dementia Education and Training Program at 1-800-457-5679.