AUBURN - According to global statistics, the United States population has one of the highest percentages in the world of people who suffer from Alzheimer's disease. The logical reason is that age expectancy in this country is among the world's longest.
Sam Tenney / The Citizen
Dr. Saleem Ismail, keynote speaker at the second annual Coping and Caring workshop, speaks about dementia and Alzheimer's disease at the Holiday Inn Saturday morning.
Dr. Saleem Ismail, keynote speaker at the second annual Coping and Caring workshop, speaks about dementia and Alzheimer's disease at the Holiday Inn Saturday morning.
And with that age expectancy growing annually, the frequency of the disease is likewise growing year by year. Though researchers are making progress, medical experts suggest that the occurrence of Alzheimer's in the United States will more than double by 2025.
The disease and its symptoms, care-giving issues and the future of Alzheimer's were the subjects of a program held Saturday morning at the Holiday Inn in Auburn.
The second annual Coping and Caring workshop, presented by the Cayuga County Office for the Aging and the Alzheimer's Association of Central New York, featured an interactive keynote speech by Dr. M. Saleem Ismail, assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Rochester.
Ismail's lecture included a PowerPoint presentation with facts and figures about sufferers of Alzheimer's and related dementia, along with discussion of how best to care for those afflicted.
“We try to have a conference like this every November, because this is National Alzheimer's Month,” said Nancy Siefka, director of the office for the aging.
“Plus, the CNY Alzheimer's Association is celebrating its 25th anniversary, so we're kind of celebrating that too,” she added.
By definition, Alzheimer's is a neurologic disease of the brain that leads to loss of neurons and dementia. Classic symptoms include increased impairment of memory, judgment, decision-making and orientation, and the disease usually occurs in people over the age of 65.
“One difficulty in diagnosing (Alzheimer's) is that 90 percent of the cases are sporadic ... in other words, they occur at random. Family history doesn't really play a part,” Ismail said at the start of his lecture.
No cure has yet been discovered, he said, so caregivers must familiarize themselves with “symptomatic benefits,” which are techniques that limit a sufferer's disability.
“Prescription drugs are the most common aid,” he explained. “The non-pharmaceutical practices are known as 'the Four Rs': Repeat, Reorient, Reassure and Redirect,” he continued, referring to behavioral techniques that may lessen a patient's confusion.
After a brunch served buffet-style by the hotel catering staff, the participants discussed care-giving techniques with health professionals from local organizations like Mercy Health & Rehabilitation Center and Cayuga Health Association.
“I'd also like people to know that our office has an Alzheimer's community service program,” Siefka said. “We can help families find services (for Alzheimer's sufferers), and help them deal with any problems that may arise.”
Learn more
What: Cayuga County Office for the Aging
Where: County Office Building, 160 Genesee St., Auburn
For more information: Call 253-1434 or visit www.co.cayuga.ny.us/aging
The disease and its symptoms, care-giving issues and the future of Alzheimer's were the subjects of a program held Saturday morning at the Holiday Inn in Auburn.
The second annual Coping and Caring workshop, presented by the Cayuga County Office for the Aging and the Alzheimer's Association of Central New York, featured an interactive keynote speech by Dr. M. Saleem Ismail, assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Rochester.
Ismail's lecture included a PowerPoint presentation with facts and figures about sufferers of Alzheimer's and related dementia, along with discussion of how best to care for those afflicted.
“We try to have a conference like this every November, because this is National Alzheimer's Month,” said Nancy Siefka, director of the office for the aging.
“Plus, the CNY Alzheimer's Association is celebrating its 25th anniversary, so we're kind of celebrating that too,” she added.
By definition, Alzheimer's is a neurologic disease of the brain that leads to loss of neurons and dementia. Classic symptoms include increased impairment of memory, judgment, decision-making and orientation, and the disease usually occurs in people over the age of 65.
“One difficulty in diagnosing (Alzheimer's) is that 90 percent of the cases are sporadic ... in other words, they occur at random. Family history doesn't really play a part,” Ismail said at the start of his lecture.
No cure has yet been discovered, he said, so caregivers must familiarize themselves with “symptomatic benefits,” which are techniques that limit a sufferer's disability.
“Prescription drugs are the most common aid,” he explained. “The non-pharmaceutical practices are known as 'the Four Rs': Repeat, Reorient, Reassure and Redirect,” he continued, referring to behavioral techniques that may lessen a patient's confusion.
After a brunch served buffet-style by the hotel catering staff, the participants discussed care-giving techniques with health professionals from local organizations like Mercy Health & Rehabilitation Center and Cayuga Health Association.
“I'd also like people to know that our office has an Alzheimer's community service program,” Siefka said. “We can help families find services (for Alzheimer's sufferers), and help them deal with any problems that may arise.”
Learn more
What: Cayuga County Office for the Aging
Where: County Office Building, 160 Genesee St., Auburn
For more information: Call 253-1434 or visit www.co.cayuga.ny.us/aging
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