David Lipschitz, Frank Broyles to Speak at UAMS Public Forums on Alzheimer’s Disease

By todd

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LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and its Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging will hold two public forums May 12 in Northwest Arkansas titled “A Game Plan for Alzheimer’s Disease.” 


 


The first forum is scheduled for 10 a.m. at the First United Methodist Church, 2 Boyce Drive, in Bella Vista. The second will take place at 1 p.m. at the Schmieding Center for Senior Health and Education, 2422 N. Thompson, in Springdale. For reservations, call (479) 751-3043. There is no charge to attend either event.


 


The programs are held in conjunction with the regular public education mission of the Schmieding Center for Senior Health and Education and its Bella Vista satellite office.  The center and satellite are part of the Arkansas Aging Initiative, a program developed by the UAMS Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging and consisting of seven centers on aging located throughout Arkansas.


 


Featured speakers will be David Lipschitz, M.D., Ph.D., director of the UAMS Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, and Frank Broyles, University of Arkansas athletic director. Lipschitz will present an overview of Alzheimer’s disease, while Broyles will address the role of caregiver for Alzheimer’s patients.


 


Free copies of Coach Broyles’ Playbook for Alzheimer’s Caregivers, a new publication designed to assist those caring for loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease, will be able available. Designed like a coach’s playbook, it includes information and practical tips to help families meet the needs of their loved ones experiencing Alzheimer’s disease.


 


The playbook was inspired by Broyles’ personal experience with Alzheimer’s disease following the diagnosis of his wife, Barbara, in 1999. She died of the disease in 2004.


 


The playbook was developed collaboratively by the UAMS Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Beverly Healthcare, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the national Alzheimer’s Association and Caldwell Marketing and Media.


 


Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia in older adults and is estimated to affect 4.5 million Americans. Of that number, 56,000 are in Arkansas.


 


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 2,320 students and 690 medical residents. It is one of the state’s largest public employers with almost 9,000 employees, including nearly 1,000 physicians who provide medical care to patients at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s Hospital and the VA Medical Center. UAMS and its affiliates have an economic impact in Arkansas of $4.4 billion a year.