MEDIA CONTACT: Gisele Galoustian
561-297-2010, ggaloust@fau.edu
BOCA RATON, FL (October 24, 2006)— Florida Atlantic University’s Louis and Anne Green Memory and Wellness Center is continuing a non-pharmacologic study for people with mild Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment. The 12-week in-home study involves a new series of exercises that have the potential to facilitate memory functioning and compensate for memory deficits. Family members also participate in the sessions to encourage continuation of the activities between sessions.
“Our program involves a variety of activities, including practical daily tasks such as remembering names and faces, remembering to take medicines, recalling past and current events and keeping a memory album—all of which are designed to stimulate memory functioning in some way,” said Dr. Ruth Tappen, director of the Memory and Wellness Center and Eminent Scholar in the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing. “It is our hope to slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive impairment through this important program.”
According to the National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer’s Association, it is estimated that 4.5 million Americans have AD, and the current direct and indirect costs of their care are at least $100 billion annually. AD is a progressive neurogenerative disease characterized by abnormal clumps (amyloid plaques) and tangled bundles of fibers (neurofibrillary tangles) composed of misplaced proteins. Age is the most important risk factor for AD, and symptoms include memory loss, reduced ability to communicate and learn, compromised judgment, and disorientation to time and space. Eventually, AD can destroy the ability to carry out even simple day-to-day activities and cause pronounced personality changes.
Established through a unique partnership of the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and Boca Raton Community Hospital, the Louis and Anne Green Memory and Wellness Center is grounded in the concept of caring and dedicated to addressing the complex problems of memory loss and aging through research, education and the provision of care. The Center’s mission is to develop and offer a comprehensive array of innovative services and therapeutic programs specific to the needs of individuals with memory problems and their families.
For more information or to enroll in the study, contact the Louis and Anne Green Memory and Wellness Center at 561-297-0502.
- FAU -
Florida Atlantic University opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the university serves more than 26,000 undergraduate and graduate students on seven campuses strategically located along 150 miles of Florida's southeastern coastline. Building on its rich tradition as a teaching university, with a world-class faculty, FAU hosts nine colleges - the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts & Letters, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Biomedical Science, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, and the Colleges of Business, Education, Engineering & Computer Science, and Architecture, Urban & Public Affairs.
