UAMS Presents ‘Series On Aging And Dementia’ At Greater Second Baptist Church

By todd

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LITTLE ROCK – University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) experts on Alzheimer’s disease and other memory-affecting disorders will present a free six-week “Series on Aging and Dementia” on Tuesdays starting Oct. 5 at the Greater Second Baptist Church at 5615 Geyer Springs Road in Little Rock.

The presentations made by staff from the UAMS Memory Research Center and hosted by the church’s Christian Board of Education and Nurses Guild, will begin at 7 p.m. Parking is free and refreshments will be served.

The presentations will address issues related to memory loss in older adults from the care and treatment of patients to legal issues and the well-being of caregivers. For more information on the series, contact Tanya Terry at (501) 296-1982. For more information on the Memory Research Center, visit http://alzheimer.uams.edu.


Series topics include:



  • An Overview of Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease, on Oct. 5, with Elaine Souder, Ph.D., professor in the UAMS College of Nursing and leader of the Education Core of the UAMS Memory Research Center, discussing the types, causes and treatment of dementia. • Memory and Aging, on Oct. 12, with Jody Hagen, Ph.D., adjunct research assistant professor in the UAMS Department of Geriatrics, talking about changes people experience in memory and mental processes as they age, along with creative ways to “exercise your brain.”

  • Caring for the Caregiver, on Oct. 19, with Phyllis Watkins, executive director of the Alzheimer’s Arkansas Programs and Services, discussing the well-being of caregivers to those with dementia.

  • Caring for the Person with Dementia, on Oct. 26, with Edith Altheimer, Ph.D., chief of the Social Work Department at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, talking about understanding the symptoms of dementia, the importance of talking about problems and accessing community and church resources.

  • Legal Issues in Caregiving, on Nov. 2, with Raymon Harvey, J.D., an attorney in elder and disability law in Little Rock, discussing how to deal with the legal roadblocks caregivers sometimes face in managing finances and directing care for someone with dementia.

  • Risk Factors and Preventive Strategies, on Nov. 9, with Sandra K. Pope, Ph.D., assistant professor in the UAMS Department of Geriatrics, talking about ways to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease such as improving your diet, increasing activity, managing stress as well as preventing and treating diseases that increase the risk for Alzheimer’s disease.

    UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, with five colleges, a graduate school, a medical center, five centers of excellence and a statewide network of regional centers. UAMS has about 2,170 students and 650 residents and is the state’s largest public employer with almost 9,000 employees. UAMS and its affiliates have an economic impact in Arkansas of about $3.8 billion a year.

    UAMS centers of excellence are the Arkansas Cancer Research Center, Harvey and Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Center on Aging, Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy and Jackson T. Stephens Spine and Neurosciences Institute.