UAMS Opens New Alzheimer’s and Dementia Resource Center in Springdale
| The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging’s Centers on Aging and the Alzheimer’s Association, Arkansas Chapter, have opened the state’s first Alzheimer’s and Dementia Resource Center, a new collaboration located at the UAMS Schmieding Center for Senior Health and Education in Springdale.
The center opened May 4 during a community event that drew dozens of caregivers, clinicians, and community members to tour the facility and learn about available programs and services.
The resource center is designed to be a single, accessible destination for individuals living with dementia, their families, and their care providers. Whether a family member needs guidance on caregiving, a physician wants to learn about the latest treatment advances, or someone simply needs to know where to turn, the center aims to meet that need.
“Sometimes you need to know where you can walk in and say ‘Help,’” said AmyLeigh Overton McCoy, Ph.D., GNP-BC, APRN, director of the UAMS Centers on Aging and an assistant professor in the UAMS College of Medicine’s Department of Geriatrics. “We need people to know they’re not alone.”
Among the center’s offerings is a virtual reality program that simulates the experience of living with dementia, helping caregivers better understand the daily challenges their loved ones face. Even routine tasks, like writing a number, slicing a vegetable, or holding a knife steady, become impossible in the simulation, offering a window into what dementia patients navigate each day. The center also features a model bedroom where family caregivers can practice hands-on care techniques.
The need for such a resource is significant. More than 60,000 Arkansans age 65 and older are currently living with Alzheimer’s disease, and that number is expected to grow. With an estimated 173,000 caregivers — most of them family members — collectively providing an estimated 270 million hours of unpaid care each year, the need for accessible, community-based support has never been greater.
“They need to be supported,” said David Cook, director of government affairs with the Arkansas chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. “This collaboration represents a meaningful step forward in how we support Arkansas families facing Alzheimer’s and dementia. By working together, we are expanding access to critical resources and ensuring that individuals and caregivers have the support they need at every stage of the journey.”
Beyond serving individuals and families directly, the center is also intended to improve coordination among the many providers and support services already operating in Northwest Arkansas. Gary McHenry, Ed.D., executive director of the UAMS Schmieding Center for Senior Health and Education, noted that while other resources exist in the region, the center can connect anyone who walks through its doors to the services they need and can serve as a meeting ground for those providers to better work together.
“The Schmieding Center has long been committed to serving the people of Northwest Arkansas, and this resource center is a natural extension of the vision of the Schmieding Foundation’s founder, the late Mr. Lawrence Schmieding,” McHenry said. “Our staff, led by our Director of Administration and Aging Services Brandi Schneider, are keenly aware of families right here in our community who are navigating dementia largely on their own and unsure where to turn. Our goal is to make sure no one has to face Alzheimer’s or dementia without the answers, resources, and support they deserve. Because when families are supported, our entire community is stronger.”
