NEW HAVEN — The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) will host a free Alzheimer’s & Caregiving Educational Conference for Connecticut residents on Wednesday, October 16, 10 am-1 pm at the Hotel Marcel in New Haven, 500 Sargent Drive. The educational conference is part of AFA’s 2024 national Educating America Tour. The free conference is open to everyone and will allow participants to learn from experts in the field of Alzheimer’s disease, brain health, caregiving, and self-care. Register by visiting alzfdn.org/tour. Advance registration is highly recommended.

Charles Fuschillo, Jr, AFA’s president & CEO, said, “Knowledge is a useful and powerful tool that can help make any situation easier to navigate, especially something as challenging as caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease.” Fuschillo continued, “Connecting families with useful, practical information and support that can help them now and be better prepared for the future is what this conference is all about. Whether Alzheimer’s is affecting your family, you are a caregiver or just want to learn more about brain health, we invite you to join us on October 16.”

Sessions during the AFA conference will include The Role of Cognitive Assessment in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease, Nurturing Your Brain: Strategies for Lifelong Cognitive Health, and Five Emotional Self-Care Strategies to Replenish Yourself as a Care Partner.

Cognitive assessment plays a tremendous role in the early detection and diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, as well as helping to distinguish it from other causes of memory impairment. Dr Stephanie Towns will discuss how cognitive assessment plays a role in the differential diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and how this role is unique as compared to the use of biomarkers and neuroimaging data. She will also review how to make the most of an appointment for cognitive testing and essential steps to take prior to testing. Towns is an associate professor and training director in Yale School of Medicine’s Neuropsychology Division.

Practicing healthy aging can proactively reduce your chances of developing memory issues, which is why it is never too soon to develop brain-healthy lifestyle choices. Heather Gately will provide tips and strategies on how to keep the mind sharp and maintain brain health as people age. She will discuss the importance of mental stimulation, physical exercise, a balanced diet, and social engagement in promoting cognitive wellness, as well as show how to incorporate these habits into a daily routine to enhance memory, focus, and overall brain function. Gately is the founder of Lifted: The Brain Wellness Center in Norwalk, and co-owner of Home Instead of Fairfield County.

Caregiving can be both rewarding and challenging, leading to feeling a range of emotions simultaneously. Self-care is essential to maintain health while dealing with all the physical and cognitive tasks that go along with the journey. Donna Fedus, MA, will provide five actionable, emotional self-care strategies that will benefit the mind, body, and spirit, while providing ways to maintain stamina and energy in the future. Fedus is a gerontologist and the founder of Borrow My Glasses, LLC, an education and evaluation company focused on aging and caregiving from a new perspective.

Free, confidential memory screenings will be conducted throughout the day.

For more information or to register for the October 16 conference in New Haven, visit alzfdn.org/tour. Those who cannot participate in the conference or have immediate questions about Alzheimer’s disease can connect with licensed social workers seven days a week through AFA’s National Toll-Free Helpline by calling 866-232-8484, texting 646-586-5283, or web chatting at alzfdn.org by clicking the blue and white chat icon in the right-hand corner of the page. The web chat and text message features are available in more than 90 languages.