'Finding Hope' forum to feature Alzheimer's researchers

By DANIEL KITTREDGE
Posted 10/16/19

By DANIEL KITTREDGE The fight against Alzheimer's disease is happening right in our backyard, and members of the community will have an opportunity to hear directly from professionals on the front line of research efforts during an upcoming event at the

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'Finding Hope' forum to feature Alzheimer's researchers

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The fight against Alzheimer’s disease is happening right in our backyard, and members of the community will have an opportunity to hear directly from professionals on the front line of research efforts during an upcoming event at the Cranston Enrichment Center.

“Alzheimer’s Disease: Finding Hope Through Research” begins at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 30. It will feature a panel including representatives of the Alzheimer’s Disease & Memory Disorder Center at Rhode Island Hospital, the Memory & Aging Program at Butler Hospital and the Rhode Island Mood & Memory Research Institute.

Jeffrey Barone, executive director of the Cranston Department of Senior Services, said the event is planned as a “town hall” style forum. Local elected officials have been invited, and members of the public are welcome to attend as well. Those interested may register by calling 780-6000.

The forum is part of the senior services department’s ongoing dementia-friendly community initiative, which is being funded through a $10,000 Momentum Grant from the Tufts Health Plan Foundation.

Barone said the department recently submitted an application for a second round of grant funding to continue the initiative and expects to hear back soon.

“The goal of the grant was to make Cranston a dementia-friendly community … make the community aware of people with the disease,” he said.

To date, the initiative has involved a range of outreach efforts, including presentations by Cranston Enrichment Center staff to municipal department heads and staff members at the Cranston Public Library, Building Inspections Department and Cranston Police Department.

“The way we get that word out is through presentations that we do,” Barone said.

The center has also established a Memory Café, which is a monthly gathering of individuals with memory loss and their caregivers. Barone said the program provides a means for members of the dementia and memory loss community to form bonds, provide support and share resources.

“There are so many resources out there through different agencies,” he said, specifically citing the AARP, Alzheimer’s Association and state Office of Healthy Aging.

For more information about the Cranston Enrichment Center and the dementia-friendly community initiative, visit cranstonseniorcenter.com.

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