'Meeting of the Minds' Dementia Conference Draws Record Crowd

From the Alzheimer's Association Hudson Valley Chapter:

The second, annual Meeting of the Minds Dementia Conference, held May 13 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Tarrytown, received an enthusiastic response from the community, drawing nearly 400 attendees.

Attendees networked and explored the exhibitor booths before the conference began and in the breaks between the scheduled presentations. More than 33 exhibitors were on hand from a variety of related industries, including sponsors Burke Rehabilitation Hospital and United Hebrew/Willow Towers. HealthQuest and KeyBank Foundation also sponsored the event.

“The conference was a huge success. Attendance and sponsorships were up from last year, and I’ve had several people tell me great things about how much they got out of it,” said Meg Boyce, vice president of programs and services for the Alzheimer’s Association Hudson Valley Chapter. “We’re thrilled our chapter was able to host the conference for a second year and are looking forward to a third.”

The Alzheimer’s Association Hudson Valley Chapter also had tables at the event promoting advocacy opportunities and upcoming fundraisers, including The Longest Day on June 20 and the Walk to End Alzheimer’s scheduled at five Hudson Valley locations in September and October.

The program began with keynote speaker Dan Cohen, founder of Music & Memory, who described his organization’s goal of providing nursing-home residents with iPods featuring personalized playlists. To demonstrate the profound impact music can have, Cohen showed a clip from the documentary, “Alive Inside: A Story of Music and Memory,” in which a virtually unresponsive nursing home resident with dementia lights up and becomes animated after listening to some of his favorite music. Cohen discussed the importance of taking the time to learn what music means most to a person to achieve the maximum benefit, noting that personalized playlists are becoming more common in nursing homes.

Morning breakout sessions followed, tailored to diverse groups, including those with early-stage Alzheimer’s and their family members, professional caregivers and Spanish-speaking caregivers. Gary Glazner, founder of the Alzheimer’s Poetry Project, discussed techniques for using the arts to connect with people who have dementia. Lawyer Martin Hersh gave a presentation on elder law, occupational therapist Andrea Sullivan spoke about driving and dementia and social worker Licet Valois gave an overview of dementia in Spanish.

During the lunch break, Dean M. Hartley, Ph.D., of the Alzheimer’s Association gave an update on the latest research, and attendees viewed a film about the Trial Match program in which anyone can sign up to help scientists engaged in Alzheimer’s research.

The afternoon breakout sessions included a talk on living with Alzheimer’s by longtime journalist and author Greg O’Brien, who was recently featured in a NOVA documentary on PBS. There was also a program on relieving caregiver stress by musician and writer Carole Brill. A talk on Medicaid and long-term care options was offered by social worker Colin Sandler as well as a presentation in Spanish on managing difficult behaviors by Valois.

David Troxel, author of “The Best Friends Approach to Dementia Care,” closed the conference with a discussion of his method of dementia care. Called “The Knack,” it stresses the value of empathy and finesse in interacting with those who have dementia.

The Alzheimer’s Association is the world’s leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer’s research, care and support. Its mission is to eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research, to provide and enhance care and support for all affected and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health.

Further information is available through the Alzheimer's Association Hudson Valley Chapter website.