Alzheimer's Association educates public with town hall meetings

Community members can learn how people affected by Alzheimer’s will be helped by a State Plan to Address Alzheimer’s which will be given to State Legislature in January 2016.

The Alzheimer’s Association Washington State Chapter will host 11 town hall meetings across Washington State throughout October and November. Community members will learn about the draft of the Washington State Plan to Address Alzheimer’s, which is meant to guide the help and resources for over 100,000 individuals living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias in Washington.

The State Plan will help public and private sectors organize to address the growing population of diagnosed individuals in Washington, which is expected to grow to 140,000 in just a few years. It addresses meeting the needs of caregivers, reducing stigma associated with dementia, raising awareness, increasing availability and affordability of long-term services and it also supports increasing the quality and availability of paid aides.

Caregivers like Anita Harvey feel the strain and need for more support, “The Alzheimer’s Association may be making great strides in research [and] increasing awareness…but doctors, nurses, hospitals, and care facilities need to be working just as hard… until there is a cure.”

The Alzheimer’s Association town halls will be held at several locations and times. The meeting most convenient to Wahkiakum county will be held in Kelso on October 6 from 5:30-7 p.m.

For more detailed information about the town hall schedule, visit alzwa.org or call the Alzheimer’s Association at 206-363-5500.