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SPOTLIGHT: THE HEART OF SENIOR LIVING


Alzheimer’s Buddies Gathers N


ational Alzheimer’s Buddies works on a proven principle: Relation- ships improve lives and health.


The program pairs college students with people with Alzheimer’s disease for one-on-one visits designed “to alleviate the often-overlooked emotional and social challenges that stem from Alzheimer’s by building friendships between college stu- dents and Alzheimer’s residents that bring out the beauty of the person still present.” Buddies also write letters to the loved


ones of the person with Alzheimer’s to help them share in the friendship and activities. Buddies receive professional training ses- sions, work with peers, and journal to learn to overcome communications barriers and increase engagement. During COVID-19, the program has been largely virtual. National Alzheimer's Buddies has also


introduced a Social and Racial Justice Ini- tiative, with additional training on social and racial health disparities and cultural competence, and information to help ad- vance understanding of how disparities af- fect diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s among minority populations. The group supports pairings with about


300 volunteers over 15 universities. Some of the major providers hosting volunteers include Atria, Belmont Village, Brookdale, and Sunrise, but smaller providers and skilled nursing are also involved. To find out how to get involved, see alzbuddies.org.


A timely symposium The program also seeks to develop future leaders and advocates: Since 2013, the stu- dents help create symposia to raise aware- ness and present ideas and new findings in areas including policy, research, medicine, and business.


It recently held its first virtual symposium,


“Breaking Through,” to examine two of the biggest challenges of 2020. The first half examined the dangers of social isolation created under COVID-19 safety restrictions and how to overcome these. The second half looked at racial and socioeconomic dis- parities in health care, which unfortunately have been exacerbated under COVID-19 as well, and how these affect memory care. What follows are some of the major


takeaways. • Keynoter Lauren Miller Rogen is a screenwriter, director, and producer, who with Seth Rogan—actor, screenwriter, director, and producer—co-founded Hilarity for Charity (wearehfc.org). The group has raised more than $13 million through its signature comedy events and helped establish a respite care grant program, online support groups, and more. An important part of its work is raising awareness about brain health for younger people, to help improve their health and to “activate the next genera- tion of Alzheimer’s advocates.” Lauren Rogen shared the group’s video on brain health—a funny lesson given by Seth Rogen acting as scientist, complete with lab coat.


• In these times, it’s necessary to focus support on the caregiver first, said Dr. Dan Purdom, associate director for the Geriatric Medicine fellowship in the Department of Community & Family Medicine at the University of Missou- ri-Kansas City School of Medicine. If the caregiver can’t do their job, it puts the whole system at risk.


• COVID-19 taught us that “telemedicine is here to stay,” said Dr. Miranda Huff- man, a family physician an adjunct clin-


50 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020


Experts for Virtual Symposium By Sara Wildberger


ical faculty at Meharry Medical College.


• Purdom added that in the mental and behavioral health sectors, telemedicine has been “a godsend.” But it needs to be more accessible and available, he added: “We do medical assessments on people in the space station, but we can’t seem to do it for people down the block.”


• One of the biggest obstacles to ad- dressing disparities is the number of residences, community centers, research programs, and health care facilities where “people don’t look like me,” the speakers agreed.


• Dr. Oanh Meyer, assistant professor of neurology at the UC Davis School of Medicine, addressed the justified need to create credibility and trust in reaching out to marginalized communities, saying that starting by building relationships with established community organiza- tions, including faith-based ones, can help.


• John Saunders, Jr., executive director of Wesley House Association, spoke of the importance of Black people having health


care access and attending to


brain health and underlying conditions early, while still in their 20s and 30s: “We are people living on the edge…it’s time for that to change.”


• While research is critical, “the solution to Alzheimer’s is not going to happen in a laboratory,” said Jason Resendez, ex- ecutive director of the UsAgainstAlzhei- mer’s Center for Brain Health Equity. “It’s going to take meeting people where they are, culturally and physically.


A recording of the full symposium is available free at alzbuddies.org/breaking-through.


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