FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
Tuesday, March 25th, 2003
Alzheimer’s Association Long Island
Announces Memories in the Making Annual Tea & Art Exhibit
Ronkonkoma, N.Y. - Alzheimer’s Association
Long Island is pleased to announce that the Bristal Assisted Living
Facility will graciously host our second annual Tea & Art Exhibit
honoring Alzheimer's Artists, their families and caregivers. This
event will take place on Thursday, May 22nd, 2003 from 1:00 p.m.
to 3:30 p.m. The Bristal Assisted Living Facility is located at
117 Post Avenue in Westbury, N.Y.
The Memories in the Making Program is a new approach
to art expression for individuals with dementia and is the most
recent offering to the over 50,000 persons with Alzheimer's residing
in the Long Island Community. A person with Alzheimer's disease,
who can no longer communicate with their family, doctor and caregiver,
still has much to say. Through this program of self-expression,
the Alzheimer's patient can reach beneath their dementia and extract
some part of who they once were and more importantly - who they
are today. Memories in the making artists paint in a quiet, safe,
wholly non-judgmental environment where self-esteem, a sense of
belonging and social skills are once again regained.
Alzheimer’s Association Long Island, established
in 1983, is the local chapter of the National Alzheimer's Disease
and Related Disorders Association. Our Mission is to eliminate Alzheimer's
disease through the advancement of research and to enhance care
and support for individuals, their families, and caregivers. The
Long Island Chapter offers a twenty-four hour help line, a national
Safe Return Program, information and referral services, support
groups, education, training, as well as Memorial and Tribute Programs.
By the middle of this century, it is estimated that
14 million of today's baby boomers will have Alzheimer's disease.
The annual cost of Alzheimer's disease will soar to at least $375
billion, overwhelming our health care system and bankrupting Medicare
and Medicaid. Alzheimer's disease does not happen overnight, it
begins to attack the brain of its potential victims 10 to 20 years
before the first symptoms appear. To protect today's baby boomers
from the ravage of Alzheimer's we have to find ways to stop this
disease process now, while there is still time to prevent the damage.
Anyone wishing to learn more about the Alzheimer’s
Association Long Island should contact Ms. Mary Ann Ragona, Executive
Director at (631) 580-5100. For information about the Memories in
the Making Annual Tea & Art Exhibit or the Memories in the Making
Program, please contact Ms. Dorothea Roka, MIM Coordinator at (631)
580-5100 ext. 24.
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