Events To Mark Dementia Awareness Week
Local charity Action on Alzheimer’s & Dementia [AAD] is marking World Alzheimer’s Day this Wednesday and hosting a film screening, art show, wine-tasting fundraiser and several education sessions for families and caregivers to raise public awareness during “Dementia Awareness Week 2016.”
The registered non-profit was founded in 2012 to raise awareness, educate caregivers and the medical community, and provide desperately needed help to Bermuda’s growing number of dementia patients and those who look after them.
“Dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, is prevalent in our community, as it is worldwide, and the number of cases is growing every year,” said AAD President Elizabeth Stewart.
“World Alzheimer’s Day, followed by our annual week of public-awareness activities and events, is a way to focus attention on this critical issue and to help raise funds for our charity so we can continue to work for positive change.”
Dementia Awareness Week kicks off this Wednesday, September 21—designated “World Alzheimer’s Day” by organisations around the globe seeking to raise awareness of all dementias.
AAD Board members, charity stakeholders and volunteers will be greeting commuter traffic travelling into Hamilton on East Broadway that morning.
Other AAD initiatives scheduled for the following week include:
- Now open, Bermuda Society of Arts [BSOA], City Hall: art show sponsored by AAD and Zurich International, curated by art therapist Kendra Earls and showcasing works created by residents living with dementia at local care homes whom she works with
- Thursday, September 22, at BUEI, 6pm—Dementia 101 & Emerging Trends: a free presentation by AAD occupational therapist Marie Fay with Bermuda-based gerontologist Dr. David Harries [certificates available for Continuing Education Credit]
- Friday, September 23, at BUEI, 6pm—Mental Health, The Law & You: a free presentation by Amicus Law on various legal topics, such as powers of attorney, healthcare directives, etc.
- Sunday, September 25, at BUEI, 4pm—Forget Me Not: special screening of film by leading documentary filmmaker David Sieveking, tickets $10
- Monday September 26, at BUEI, 6pm—The Importance of Engagement & Therapeutic Activities: free presentation by AAD activities programme coordinator Krista Tatem and art therapist Kendra Earls on the benefit of art and games [certificates available for Continuing Education Credit]
- Friday, September 30, Bermuda Society of Arts [BSOA], City Hall, 6–8:30pm—Wine-Tasting AAD Fundraiser, tickets $60
Registered as charity 929, AAD is dedicated to supporting people living with dementia and their families, along with advocating for quality care.
Among its services, AAD acts as a community liaison to government departments and care homes; provides dementia-specific training for those in healthcare settings; offers occupational therapy services, including safety assessments and care planning for families; identifies and helps those who are living alone with no caregiver or advocates; provides a dementia-specific activities programme, and hosts monthly support group meetings for families.
Alzheimer’s, which has no cure, is one of numerous types of dementia, and the most common of a group of disorders that impair mental functioning. A progressive illness that destroys areas of the brain, it causes memory loss, confusion, and eventual loss of speech, understanding and movement.
Dementia costs to the global economy are estimated to be more than cancer and heart disease combined, yet research is underfunded. Worldwide, some 50-million people live with dementia—an estimated 1,000 in Bermuda alone.
Anyone who wishes to help support AAD, would like to purchase tickets to any of the week’s events, or has questions about Dementia Awareness Week in Bermuda next can contact the charity at 538-5494 or alzbermuda@yahoo.com. Anyone can make an online donation to the charity via its Clarien Bank account: 6000065060
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