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Florida Gulf Coast Chapter |
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All programs are free to attend unless otherwise specified.
November 2 Outreach: Health Fair with Free Memory Screenings at The Sunshine Center, 330 5th Avenue North, St. Petersburg; 8:30 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. For more information, please call (727) 893-7101.
November 8 Outreach: Health Fair with Free Memory Screenings at Stonehedge on the Hill, 39820 U.S. Hwy 19 North, Tarpon Springs; 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. For more information, please call (727) 578-2558.
November 10 Educational Presentation and Health Fair: Basics of Alzheimer's & Community Resources at Conmy Center, San Helen Drive, Dunedin; 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. For more information, please call (727) 578-2558.
November 13 Educational Presentation: The 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer's at The Inn at Freedom Square, 10801 Johnson Boulevard, Seminole; 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Complimentary lunch. Memory screenings by appointment. Please RSVP to (727) 398-0363.
November 13 Outreach: Free Memory Screenings at Gulfport Senior Center, 5501 27th Avenue South, Gulfport; 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. For more information and to schedule an appointment for screening, please call (727) 893-2237.
November 14 Outreach: Free Memory Screenings at Largo Fun Fest Health Fair at Largo Cultural Center, 105 Central Park Drive, Largo; 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. For more information, please call (727) 578-2558.
November 15 Educational Presentation: Alzheimer's Disease & Dealing with the Holidays at Comprehensive Clinical Research, 11201 Corporate Circle North #200, St. Petersburg; 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. For more information, please call (727) 578-2558.
November 16 Caregiver Training: New Age of Caregiving Symposium at Hilton Hotel Carillon Park, 950 Lake Carillon Drive, St. Petersburg; 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Registration fee: $45- 60. For more information and to register, please call (727) 798-2663.
December 4 Educational Presentation: Alzheimer's Disease & Dealing with the Holidays at the Inn at Freedom Square, 10801 Johnson Boulevard, Seminole; 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Complimentary lunch. Please RSVP to (727) 398-0363.
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How Far We have Come
The Alzheimer's Project (HBO)
In this video by HBO, leading researchers explain how far the field has come since Dr. Alois Alzheimer discovered the disease more than a century ago. |
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Support Groups
Alzheimer's Association-Florida Gulf Coast Chapter affiliated support groups are for family members, caregivers, and others interested in learning more about Alzheimer's disease. Meetings are open to everyone and free of charge. Support group facilitators have received training as required by Chapter and National Alzheimer's Association standards. For program information and to verify meeting dates, times, and locations, please use the telephone contacts listed below. For other questions or for respite care information so you can attend a group, call our Pinellas Office at (727) 578-2558 or 1- 800-272-3900.
Message Boards: The Alzheimer's Association message boards and chat rooms are your online communication forum. Our message boards have over 9,000 registered members from around the United States, and many more people who simply browse the stories and information that is offered 24 hours a day. Join the Alzheimer's Association online community.(alz.org/living_with_alzheimers_message_boards_lwa.asp)
EARLY STAGE SUPPORT GROUPS - for persons early-on in the disease and their caregivers
Madonna Ptak Center for
Alzheimer's and Memory Loss
430 Morton Plant Street
1st Floor Conference Room
1st and 3rd Mondays @ 1:00 p.m.
Facilitator: Celisa Bonner, 727-298-6384
CAREGIVER SUPPORT GROUPS -
for caregivers only
CLEARWATER
Freedom Inn at Countryside
3260 N. McMullen Booth Road
4th Thursday of month @ 4:00 p.m.
Facilitator: Stacy Geier, 727-210-1414
Madonna Ptak Center for Alzheimer's
And Memory Loss
430 Morton Plant Street
1st Floor Conference Room
2nd and 4th Monday @ 10:00 a.m.
Facilitator: Celisa Bonner, 727-298-6384
Sunset Point Rehab & Care Center
1980 Sunset Point Road
First Monday of month @ 3:30 p.m.
Facilitator: Divina Balorio, 727-443-1588
DUNEDIN
Dunedin Senior Center
330 Douglas Avenue
Wednesdays @ 10:00 a.m.
Facilitator: Peg Macaluso, 727-578-2558
*Emeritus at Dunedin
880 Patricia Avenue
Last Tuesday of month at 6:00 p.m.
Facilitator: LaDonna Hylton, 727-734-4696
GULFPORT
Gulfport Senior Center
5501 27th Avenue South
Wednesdays @ 2:00 p.m.
Facilitator: Georgia Terry, 727-498-4607
LARGO
*Arden Courts of Largo
300 Highland Avenue Northeast
4th Thursday @ 6:00 p.m.
Facilitator: Celisa Bonner , 727-559-8400
*Pinecrest Place
1150 8th Avenue Southwest
2nd Thursday @ 3:00 p.m.
Facilitator: AJ Cipperly, 727-578-2558
Regal Palms (Palms of Largo)
300 Lake Avenue Northeast
2nd Tuesday @ 6:00 p.m.
Facilitator: June Sharp/Tammy Dunlap, 727-437-1371
PINELLAS PARK
Bayside Terrace
9381 U.S. Highway 19 North
Tuesdays @ 1:30 p.m.
Facilitator: Jim Yanacheck, 727-576-1234
PALM HARBOR
*Arden Courts of Palm Harbor
2895 Tampa Road
3rd Monday @ 6:00 p.m.
Facilitator: Debbie Langrock, 727-771-1600
Alzheimer's & Lewy Body Dementia Group
*Harbor Chase
2960 Tampa Road
2nd Monday @ 5:30 p.m.
Facilitator: Linda Pinke, 727-781-8686
Palm Harbor Senior Center
1500 16th Street
Mondays @ 9:30 a.m.
Facilitator: Pat Salatin, 727-937-8105
SEMINOLE
Inn at Freedom Square
10801 Johnson Boulevard
3rd Floor Activity Room
Wednesdays @ 1:30 p.m.
Facilitator: Megan White, 727-398-0185
SAINT PETERSBURG
Fountains at Boca Ciega
1255 Pasadena Avenue South
2nd and 4th Wednesdays @ 10:00 a.m.
Facilitator: Catoura East, 727-812-3930
Menorah Manor
255 59th Street North
1st Thursday @ 3:30 p.m.
Facilitator: Gwen Kaldenberg, 727-345-2775, x. 3750
Pasadena Community Methodist Church
227 70th Street South
Tuesdays @ 5:30 p.m.
Wednesdays @ 9:30 a.m.
Facilitator: Barbara Posey, 727-381-2499, x. 214
* Indicates Free Respite is provided by the support group host during the support group meeting. Please call in advance for reservations. |
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The Estates at Carpenters
Supporting the Alzheimer's Association
Karen Adair, Director of Marketing, EAC
As a Continuing Care Retirement Community, The Estates at Carpenters believes the senior adult benefits from an environment that values a sense of purpose and 
independence by enhancing individual dignity, personal growth, wellness, happiness, and self-esteem. This vision is exemplified by their motto - "Where Quality of Life is Celebrated."
Living at the Estates has many advantages beyond their centralized location. The continuum of care offered on their thirty-three acre campus is comprised of independent living apartments, an assisted living facility called the Villa at Carpenters, an award-winning skilled nursing facility known as the Manor at Carpenters, and a licensed home health agency. To support residents with Alzheimer's, the Estates utilizes recreation based on individual cognitive levels. A Relaxation Room in the Manor helps give residents a sense of calm and offers non-pharmacological interventions by re-directing thoughts and focus to pleasant sights and sounds. Throughout their 26 years in Polk County, the Estates at Carpenters has carefully established and creatively cultivated a spirit of giving- not only to our immediate neighbors, but also to the entire Lakeland community. For the 2012 Season, the Estates is again a proud sponsor of the Alzheimer's Association's Walk to End Alzheimer's. Being an Exclusive Platinum Partner of the Florida Gulf Coast Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, both residents and employees of the Estates has and will be taking part in several of the Alzheimer's Association's walks this fall. As scientists and doctors continue to search for a cure, EAC continues to learn from and celebrate the lives of these very special people. The Estates at Carpenters is located at 1001 Carpenter's Way, Lakeland, 863-858-3847. Learn more about The Estates at Carpenters at www.eaclakeland.com or on our Facebook page. 
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Care for the Caregiver
Stefanie Thompson, Sr. Prog. Specialist, AAFGCC
Caregivers may find that with so many responsibilities self care is placed as a lesser priority than care of a loved one. Yet, staying physically and emotionally strong is key to healthier caregiving. To this end, this column is dedicated to health promotion and personal care for the caregiver.
Heart and Brain Connection
National Alzheimer's Association
Remember that what is good for your heart is good for your head.
Some of the strongest evidence about maintaining your brain links brain health to heart health. Even though you can't feel your brain working, it's one of the most active organs in your body. Your heart pumps about 20 percent of your blood to your brain, where billions of cells use about 20 percent of the blood's oxygen and fuel.
If your heart isn't pumping well - or if your brain's blood vessels are damaged - your brain cells have trouble getting all the food and oxygen they need. Any condition that damages your heart or blood vessels can affect your brain's blood supply.
How you can take brain health to heart:
- Adopt a long-term, heart-healthy "food lifestyle" rather than a short-term diet and eat in moderation. A long-term study of 1,500 adults found that those who were obese in middle age were twice as likely to develop dementia in later life. Those who also had high cholesterol and high blood pressure had six times the risk of dementia.
- Reduce your intake of fat and cholesterol.Studies have shown that high intake of saturated fat and cholesterol clogs the arteries and is associated with higher risk for Alzheimer's disease. Use mono- and polyunsaturated fats, such as olive oil, for example. Try baking or grilling food instead of frying.
- Exercise. Walking or other moderate exercise for 30 minutes each day gets the body moving and the heart pumping.
- Don't smoke.Smoking interferes with blood flow and oxygen to the brain and is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke.
- Manage your numbers. Controlling your body weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar helps reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke.
For more information visit Be Heart Smart. |
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Caregiver Jewels
Emily Reese, Prog. Specialist, AAFGCC
Welcome to Caregiver Jewels, a column featuring caregiving tips by family and professional caregivers throughout our 17 county service area. These "golden nuggets" represent caregiving strategies and tricks of the trade.
For the column to be a success we need your input!
It may be a "golden nugget" you say to get your loved one to attend a program or an activity to redirect their attention. Whether your tip is a diamond, emerald or ruby - all are valuable! So, please share the wealth!
Send your tip to reesee@alzflgulf.org or contact your local office.
November Tip
Use Written Reminders
A family caregiver in Collier County created a sign to help promote safety. The sign specifically focused on fall prevention.
Materials needed: a sign (click here for an example) and a bell.
Written reminders can be a useful strategy for a person in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. Remember consistency is important. Take the sign and bell wherever you go, i.e., hospital, visiting relatives, vacations, etc. Using written reminders and visual cues can be used in other areas of functioning too. For example, a picture of socks and the word socks taped to the sock drawer; a sign reminding the person with dementia that you have gone out and will be back at 2:00 p.m. No strategy is full proof. What works one day may not work the next, so always be aware of how the person with dementia is responding.
Falls are a serious risk for all seniors but particularly for those with dementia. Click here for fall prevention tips for caregivers to be aware of for themselves and their loved one.
Note: The information in this column is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional or medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
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Current Medical Treatments
In the brain, neurons connect and communicate at synapses, where tiny bursts of chemicals called neurotransmitters carry information from one cell to another. Alzheimer's disrupts this process, and eventually destroys synapses and kills neurons, damaging the brain's communication network.
 Current FDA-approved Alzheimer's drugs support this comm-unication process through two different mechanisms:
- Cholinesterase inhibitors work by slowing down the disease activity that breaks down a key neurotransmitter. Donepezil, galantamine, rivastigmine and tacrine are cholinesterase inhibitors.
- Memantine,the fifth Alzheimer's drug, is an NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptor antagonist, which works by regulating the activity of glutamate, a chemical messenger involved in learning and memory. Memantine protects brain cells against excess glutamate, a chemical messenger released in large amounts by cells damaged by Alzheimer's disease and other neurological disorders. Attachment of glutamate to cell surface "docking sites" called NMDA receptors permits calcium to flow freely into the cell. Over time, this leads to chronic overexposure to calcium, which can speed up cell damage. Memantine prevents this destructive chain of events by partially blocking the NMDA receptors.
On average, the five approved Alzheimer's drugs are effective for about six to 12 months for about half of the individuals who take them.
More information. |
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If you have questions, concerns or just wish to talk to someone please feel free to contact us. Our 24-hour HELPLINE number is 1-800-272-3900.
Sincerely,
Peggy Macaluso, Director of Advocacy & Program Specialist AJ Cipperly, Program Specialist Alzheimer's Association Florida Gulf Coast Chapter 14010 Roosevelt Boulevard, Suite 709 Clearwater, FL 33762 Telephone: 727.578.2558 Facsimile: 727.578.2286 Email: macalusop@alzflgulf.org cipperlya@alzflgulf.org Website: www.alz.org/flgulfcoast |
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Alzheimer's Association - Florida Gulf Coast Chapter
Chapter Headquarters, 14010 Roosevelt Blvd., Suite 709, Clearwater, FL 33762 Telephone: 727.578.2558
National Headquarters-Alzheimer's Association National Office, 225 N. Michigan Ave., Fl. 17, Chicago, IL 60601
Alzheimer's Association is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization © 2010 Alzheimer's Association. All rights reserved.
24/7 Helpline: 1.800.272.3900 |
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