Alzheimer's Association Plans Annual 'Meeting of the Minds' Conference

From the Alzheimer's Association:

The Alzheimer’s Association Hudson Valley Chapter will host its second, annual Meeting of the Minds dementia conference from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, May 13 at the DoubleTree by Hilton at 455 South Broadway in Tarrytown.

The conference will feature talks by keynote speakers, a research update, and morning and afternoon breakout sessions for people with early-stage Alzheimer’s, family caregivers, professionals, Spanish-speaking caregivers and the general public.

Among the breakout session speakers is Greg O’Brien, a journalist for more than 35 years who was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease in 2009 at age 59. He is the editor/author of several books, including the award-winning “On Pluto: Inside the Mind of Alzheimer’s,” and was featured in a recent PBS NOVA film, “Can Alzheimer’s Be Stopped?"

O’Brien said he is trying to get the word out about Alzheimer’s disease.

“Alzheimer’s is not the end,” O’Brien said. “It’s a disease that can take 20-25 years to take its course.”

He said early diagnosis is important “because there’s medicine and strategies. And without that, you fail even faster, and you have this sense of isolation and feeling alone.”

He said more open discussion is needed.

“There was a time when no one talked about cancer, AIDS, autism. … No one wants to talk about dementia because it sounds like someone’s demented. What we need to do is to make it … so we can talk about it and allow people to talk about the isolation and the depression and all the symptoms so they don’t feel alone — and then there’s strategies to help people live with these diseases,” said O'Brien.

Many people live in denial, he said, that they could ever be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s themselves.

“I feel that, as a journalist, I know how to tell a story. To some extent, for my generation, I’m the canary in the coal mine. … What I’m trying to do is hold up a mirror to people. I’m not asking them to care about my story, but to recognize that my story could be their story someday. It’s a disease that knows no gender, color, demographics. It attacks everywhere.”

“It’s about faith, hope and humor,” O’Brien said. “With a diagnosis, your life isn’t over — it’s different. It’s about finding the new you. With faith, hope and strategies, you can work through it.”

“Life is measured by how you get up after you’ve been knocked down. And I think that’s the measure of a person. When someone gets knocked down, it’s an opportunity as much as a challenge,” O’Brien said.

Respite care is available during the Meeting of the Minds conference. Interested attendees must call Meg Boyce at (800) 272.3900 to learn more. Continuing education credits are also available for the keynote sessions. The conference is accessible from the Metro North Train Station in Tarrytown for a $6 cab fare to the hotel.

Registration and further detail is available through the Alzheimer's Dementia Conference website.

Participating speakers are Dan Cohen, MSW, founder of Music and Memory, David Troxel, MPH, a long-term care expert and author of “The Best Friend’s Approach to Alzheimer’s Care” and Dean M. Hartley, director of Science Initiatives at the Alzheimer’s Association, who will provide an update on national research initiatives for Alzheimer’s disease.

Breakout sessions are "Celebrating Creativity in Eldercare" by Gary Glazner; "Elder Law Issues; Estate and Medicaid planning, advanced directives and supplemental needs trusts," by Martin Hersh, Esq.; “Driving & Dementia" by Andrea Sullivan, OT; “Medicaid and Long-Term Care Options" by Colin Sandler; "Living with Alzheimer's" by Greg O'Brien, LCSW; “Stress Management Techniques" by Carole Brill and “The Journey's End: Finding Comfort and Meaning at the End of Life" by Curtis Au, LMSW.

Two breakout sessions will be offered for Spanish-speaking caregivers: "Demencia 101: Desde la Perspectiva de la Trabajadora Social” and "Manejando Comportamientos Difíciles," both by Licet Valois of Weill Cornell Prevention Clinic.