Lehigh Valley Caregiver Conference

Help is on its way in for Family Caregivers in the Lehigh Valley 

• There are approximately 25,000 people in the Lehigh Valley diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease.
• There are over 5.4 million people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease in the United States - by 2050 the number of people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease is expected to increase to over 15 million.
• Every 68 seconds, someone in this country is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
• Alzheimer’s disease is now the 6th leading cause of death in this country. It is the 5th leading cause of death for those over the age of 65.
• Since 2006, deaths from Alzheimer’s disease have risen by 66% while deaths from other major disease have dropped. Alzheimer’s disease is the only cause of death in the top ten causes of death in this country with no way to cure, prevent or even slow the process of the disease.
• Approximately 70% of the people caring for a loved one with a dementia diagnosis have clinically significant symptoms of depression. Caring for persons with dementia is reported to impact a person immune system for up to 3 years after their caregiving experience ends, thus increasing their chance of developing a chronic illness themselves.
• If Alzheimer’s caregivers were the only residents of a single state, it would be the 5th largest state in this country
• In this country, there are over 15 million caregivers. In 2011, those caregivers provided over 17 billion hours of care – valued at 210 billion dollars.

The families in the Lehigh Valley who are living with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia need help now. “So many families struggle to find information and education about where to turn for help for their loved one and where they can turn for help for themselves. Caring for a loved one with dementia can be an isolating experience at exactly the time when caregivers most need the support.”, says Karen Francis, CDP-Admissions & Marketing Director at Arden Courts Memory Care Community in Allentown, who recognized the need for this event in the Greater Lehigh Valley, Berks and Pocono Area.

The Lehigh Valley Caregiver Conference will be an entire day of education from the area’s top experts in the field of geriatrics, neurology, dementia care, eldercare law including the Area Office of Adult and Aging Services and the Alzheimer’s Association. Area resources, the types of care available, how to advocate for your loved one, how to manage symptoms and behaviors and what our government is doing to help at the state and federal levels are just some of the topics that will be presented. The conference is open to family caregivers, direct care workers, nurses, social workers and other health care professionals. If a family caregiver needs care for a loved one the day of the conference, SarahCare will provide respite care that day at a reduced rate. This is a non-profit event. Any proceeds collected over the cost will be donated to the Lehigh County Senior Center with a portion going to the Alzheimer’s Association to create a grant for respite care for families of the Lehigh Valley.

The Lehigh Valley Caregiver Conference will be held June 8th from 8AM-4PM at the Best Western located at 300 Gateway Drive Bethlehem, PA. For more information, please call Judith Stanczak at 610-782-3094 or Karen Francis at 610-366-9010.