Hartford HealthCare Center for Healthy Aging promotes World Alzheimer’s Day

SOUTHINGTON – The statistics on Alzheimer’s disease or dementia are alarming: Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Since 2000, while deaths attributed to heart disease have decreased by 14 percent, deaths from Alzheimer’s have increased nearly 90 percent, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

To raise awareness about the disease and the impending public health crisis, resource coordinators and dementia specialists from Hartford HealthCare Center for Healthy Aging will be providing information and answering questions, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at numerous Hartford HealthCare locations on Thursday, Sept. 21, World Alzheimer’s Day. People are being encouraged to wear purple that day to show their support.

Locations include Hartford Hospital; The Hospital of Central Connecticut, New Britain and Bradley Memorial campuses; MidState Medical Center; and the Center for Healthy Aging offices in Vernon and Bloomfield.

Alzheimer’s disease is often considered a “family disease,” because of the stress and responsibility that falls on those who love and care for an individual affected by it. With the longer life spans and baby boomers coming of age, support for research is more crucial than ever before.

For more information about Hartford HealthCare Center for Healthy Aging’s events on World Alzheimer’s Day, call the center toll-free at 1.877.4AGING1/1.877.424.4641.

Hartford HealthCare Center for Healthy Aging, a not for profit member of Hartford HealthCare Senior Services, is a resource and assessment center designed to enhance access to services and information related to attaining optimal quality of life for seniors and their caregivers. For more information about Hartford HealthCare Center for Healthy Aging, visit cthealthyaging.org.