A retired licensed social worker in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease will relate her personal story at a program stressing the importance of early intervention sponsored by the Alzheimer's Association - Central Illinois Chapter.
"It Takes Teamwork" will be the topic presented by Mary Ann Becklenberg, a former Early-Stage Advisor for the National Alzheimer's Association, Chicago.
Becklenberg was featured in "The New Face of Alzheimer's" in an episode of the second season of "Life - Part II" that aired last year on PBS.
Along with the help of her family, the northwestern Indiana resident and retired social worker articulately conveys the benefits of early detection and raises awareness of Association programs and services.
The second featured speaker will be Julie DiBernardino-Doeden, MSW, LCSW, will discuss the importance of early detection.
DiBernardino-Doeden is a psychotherapist with OSF Center for Health, Institute on Aging and a board member with the Alzheimer's Association - Central Illinois Chapter.
She is co-facilitator for the Alzheimer's Association - Central Illinois Chapter Early Stage Support Group, which is a collaboration with OSF Saint Francis Medical Center and Southern Illinois School of Medicine.
A Focus on Early Intervention will be held Thursday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Chapter office at 606 W. Glen Avenue, Peoria.
The program is free to the public.
The Early Intervention Program is funded, in part, by the Alzheimer's Remembrance Fund at Community Foundation of Central Illinois.
The program is the second event of the Alzheimer's Association's Advanced Learning Committee, chaired by Dr. Robert White, who is a board member of the Central Illinois Chapter.
The Committee's goal is to promote research findings, establish partnerships and act as a communication link with the medical community, and increase training of health care providers.
"It is a unique opportunity to be able to provide advanced information to our community on Alzheimer's disease," said Dr. White. "We believe by partnering with our medical community, we can offer this type of information to patients, families involved with the disease, and to anyone interested in the topic. Our aim is to deliver high quality programs devoted to this project."
To register for the program or for additional information, please call the Chapter office at 681.1100.
Disease and caregiver information can be found on the Chapter website at www.alz.org/illinoiscentral.
The Alzheimer's Association - Central Illinois Chapter, is a donor supported, not-for-profit health organization serving 20 counties in central and west central Illinois.
Its three office locations, Dixon, Peoria, and Quincy are committed to providing educational and supportive services to help people with Alzheimer's and their caregivers understand and deal with the disease and its impact on their lives.
Its core programs include information and referral, care consultations, education, support groups and safety services.
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