Our Partners in Health to begin free community series on Alzheimer's disease, memory loss & other forms of dementia

A first-in-the-region educational series on living with and treating Alzheimer’s Disease, dementia and related illnesses will launch at the Sharon Public Library (SPL) in November. Funded by a National Library of Medicine (NLM) grant, the new Our Partners in Health (OPH) initiative was organized by the SPL and is designed to inform patients, caregivers and community members about all aspects of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and memory-loss related illnesses, including diagnosis, living with dementia, new research and clinical trials, and resources available from town government and local organizations.

The first OPH presentation will take place on Wednesday, November 4, at 7:00 pm in the Cynthia B. Fox Community Room at the SPL. Presented by Hebrew Senior Life geriatrician Ruth Kandel, MD, the hour-long overview will examine Memory Loss, Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. A 30-minute question-and-answer period will follow. The presentation is free and open to the pubic. Refreshments will be served.

Dr. Kandel is Director of the Memory Disorders Clinic at Hebrew Senior Life, and is Board certified in both internal medicine and geriatric medicine. A much-sought-after expert on memory and aging and an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, she has a passion for helping people with a need for memory support services. During her opening presentation, Dr. Kandel will provide a general overview and introduction to memory loss, the various forms of dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease.

SPL Library Director Lee Ann Amend says she was inspired to establish the OPH initiative because of the rapidly escalating growth in the number of Americans with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, the number of people age 65 and older affected by the disease will nearly triple from 5 million to 16 million. Upon connecting with a number of government and community organizations, the SPL created the OPH series with the goal of enhancing quality of life for individuals living with memory loss and providing high quality, sustainable health education information for the community and the caregivers that provide support.

Kandel’s talk will be followed by a presentation about Resources for Families Living Dementia on Thursday, November 19th, presented by nationally certified care manager Joanne Peskowitz, LICSWS, of Your Elder Care Experts, the Geriatric Care Management program of Jewish Family & Children’s Services.

Our Partners in Health is a collaborative comprising the Sharon Public Library in partnership with the Sharon Council on Aging, Epoch Senior Healthcare of Sharon, Hebrew Senior Life, Health & Social Services Consortium, Inc. (HESSCO), Jewish Family and Children’s Services, Orchard Cove, White Oak Cottages, and Your Elder Care Experts. For more information about Our Partners in Health and upcoming OPH programs, contact SPL Library Director Lee Ann Amend at 781.784.1578, ext. 1425, lamend@ocln.org, or visit www.sharonpubliclibrary.org.

This project has been funded in whole or in part with Federal funds from the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract No. #HHS-N-276-2011-0001C with the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

ABOUT THE SHARON PUBLIC LIBRARY

A member of the Old Colony Library Network (OCLN) with a collection in a wide range of traditional and digital formats, the Sharon Public Library (SPL) is committed to serving the informational, educational, cultural and recreational needs of all members of the Sharon community by providing access to a professional staff, a state-of-the-art facility and quality materials, programs and services.

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