UAMS to Hold Support Sessions for Mild Dementia

By Jon Parham

The group sessions, offered at no charge, will be held from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. each Monday for five weeks starting May 7 (excluding Memorial Day). Those wishing to attend must participate in a screening interview. To schedule the interview, contact Denise Compton, Ph.D., at (501) 526-5799, ext. 1029; or Priscilla Pittman, at (501) 224-0021.

The sessions will be:

•  May 7 Session 1: Welcome and Overview of Dementia 
   What it means, information on how a diagnosis is determined; what causes symptoms, what is being done to research and treat the symptoms, and how to maximize quality of life
•  May 14 Session 2: Pharmaceutical Interventions and Medication Issues 
   Update on current medications, vitamins, research, etc.
•  May 21 Session 3: Legal and Financial Planning
   The latest information on legal, financial and health care planning, especially when someone in the family has dementia
•  June 4 Session 4: Staying Healthy
   A discussion on developing and maintaining good eating habits, exercise and lifestyle for brain health
•  June 11 Session 5: Living for Today
   A discussion about day-to-day living, coping and thriving with mild dementia

UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Related Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a statewide network of regional centers; and seven institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy, the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, the Psychiatric Research Institute, the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging and the Translational Research Institute. Named best Little Rock metropolitan area hospital by U.S. News & World Report, it is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has more than 2,800 students and 775 medical residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including about 1,000 physicians and other professionals who provide care to patients at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and UAMS’ Area Health Education Centers throughout the state. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com.