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Registration Open for 20th Annual Alzheimer’s Disease Research Conference

By June 18, 2012In the News

Register Now . . . for the 20thAnnual Southern California Alzheimer’s Disease Conference, to be held on World Alzheimer’s Day, Friday, September 21, 2012 at the Hilton Orange County/Costa Mesa.

Joining worldwide efforts to increase understanding of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, the Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders at the University of California, Irvine (UCI MIND) and its community partners, the Alzheimer’s Association of Orange County and Alzheimer’s Family Services Center, are bringing together experts from across the country to address the topic, Beyond Memory: The Behavioral and Psychiatric Symptoms of Dementia.

Today, over 5.4 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, and a new case emerges every 68 seconds. In the absence of effective treatments and prevention strategies, by 2050, up to 16 million Americans will be affected, and a new case will develop every 33 seconds. Currently, over 588,000 Californians have Alzheimer’s disease; by 2030, this figure will double to 1.1 million. In Orange County alone, it is estimated that 75,000 individuals already have or are at great risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease.

Behavioral and psychiatric symptoms – which range from apathy and depression to aggressiveness and wandering – are one of the most challenging aspects of the dementing disorders for physicians, other health care professionals, and families alike to manage.  Occurring in nearly all people with dementia, behavioral and psychiatric symptoms have serious adverse consequences for both patients and caregivers, including faster cognitive decline, more functional limitations, earlier institutionalization, poorer quality of life, and greater caregiver depression.

The 20th Annual Southern California Alzheimer’s Research Conference will feature nationally recognized dementia experts from several leading academic institutions, including the University of Pittsburgh, University of Southern California, U.C. San Diego, U.C. Los Angeles, U.C. San Francisco, and U.C. Irvine. Presentations include:

Unrecognized Medical Illness: An Important Contributor to Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Dementia – Daniel Sewell, M.D., University of California, San Diego

Effectiveness of Psychotropic Medications to Treat Behavioral and Psychiatric Symptoms in Alzheimer’s Disease – Lon Schneider, M.D., University of Southern California

Sleep Disruption in Alzheimer’s Disease – Aimee L. Pierce, M.D., University of California, Irvine

Treatment for the Behavioral Variant of Frontotemporal Dementia – Adam Boxer, M.D., Ph.D., University of California, San Francisco

Social Behavior and Emotion in Frontotemporal Dementia – Mario Mendez, M.D., University of California, Los Angeles

Language Impairments in Dementia: A Contributor to Neuropsychiatric Symptoms –Maria L. Gorno-Tempini, M.D., Ph.D., University of California, San Francisco

Early Neuropsychiatric Symptoms: Insights from Diagnosed Individuals and their Care Partners – Cordula Dick-Muehlke, Ph.D., University of California, Irvine

Physician Best Practices in the Management of Behavioral and Psychiatric Symptoms in Dementia – Laura Mosqueda, M.D., University of California, Irvine

Reducing Caregiver Stress in Managing Behavioral and Psychiatric Symptoms – Richard Schulz, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh

Continuing education units will be available for physicians (CME) and a variety of other health care professionals, including social workers (BBS), nurses (BRN), nursing home (NHAP) and residential care facility (RCFE) administrators, and attorneys (MCLE).  Complimentary respite will be also be available for family caregivers at various Orange County assisted living facilities.

To register for Beyond Memory: The Behavioral and Psychiatric Symptoms of Dementia, call the Alzheimer’s Association of Orange County at (949)757-3711 or visit http://act.alz.org/20thAnnualResearchConference

 

About UCI MIND

Dedicated to the mission of researching ways to make memories last a lifetime, the University of California, Irvine Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders (UCI MIND) is engaged in cutting edge interdisciplinary research to uncover the basic mechanisms of brain aging, characterize the transition from normal aging to Alzheimer’s disease, develop new treatments, and identify strategies to maintain brain health.  Internationally recognized, UCI MIND is one of 15 prestigious Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers (ADRC) funded by the National Institute on Aging, one of the 10 California Alzheimer’s Disease Centers, and a leading national site for clinical trials.  UCI MIND is Orange County’s only federally and state-designated Alzheimer’s disease research and clinical center.  For more information, call (949) 824-2382 or visit www.mind.uci.edu

About the Alzheimer’s Association, Orange County Chapter
The Orange County Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association provides a comprehensive suite of programs and services — provided at no charge — to meet myriad and evolving needs of people with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders, their families, caregivers and the community. For more information, please go to http://www.alz.org/oc, or call the 24/7 Helpline at 800-272-3900.

About Alzheimer’s Family Services Center
Affiliated with the Hoag Neurosciences Institute, Alzheimer’s Family Services Center, an independent non-profit agency, is the only Alzheimer’s Day Care Resource Center in Orange County.  The agency fulfills its mission to improve quality of life for families challenged by Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia through services tailored to meet individual needs.  AFSC offers a comprehensive set of critical services, including dementia-specific adult day health care, caregiver support, and education.  To learn more, please call 714-593-9630 or visit
www.AFSCenter.org.