Alzheimer’s Foundation of America brings its ‘Educating America Tour’ to Philadelphia this week

The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America is bringing its “Educating America Tour” to Philadelphia this week. The Nov. 15 educational conference will take place in Center City and is primarily designed for professionals and family caregivers.

The goal of the conference is to share the latest information on Alzheimer’s disease and care in local communities as cases of the progressive form of dementia are projected to climb.

“Pretty much everybody either knows someone who is living with Alzheimer’s or knows someone who knows someone who’s living with Alzheimer’s,” Chris Schneider, foundation communications director, said. “That’s why we want to make sure that people know about the resources that are there to help.”

An estimated 280,000 Pennsylvanians live with this disease, which destroys memory and cognition over time. That number is projected to grow to 320,000 by 2025, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

The event will offer free memory screenings throughout the day, and feature sessions with expert panelists on brain health, new technologies, and caregiver support.

“While caring for somebody with dementia is truly a labor of love, it comes with a lot of stress and there’s a lot of different emotions associated with it,” Schneider said. “There can be grief, there can be other types of stressors. So, that session is going to talk about that as well.”

Participants in this free event are encouraged to pre-register online by Mon., Nov. 13, but people can still attend as walk-ins on Wednesday.