Alzheimer's Association announces research update

To commemorate November as National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month, the St. Louis Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association is planning a "research update" at Southeast Missouri State University Saturday.

The update is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. at the University Center Ballroom with a free lunch following the presentation.

This special event will feature one of the nation's foremost experts in therapies to improve the quality of life for those diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.

Cameron Camp, Ph.D., director and senior research scientist at Myers Research Institute in Ohio, will discuss how Montessori teaching methods can be used to enable those with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias to perform at the highest level of functioning their abilities will allow.

Camp believes the Montessori method of teaching is effective because "it engages a person with dementia and gives them just the right amount of challenge -- so that it's not too easy, and yet they can still succeed. It enables them to have an optimal level of stimulation, not over stimulation."

More than 4,000 residents of Southeast Missouri have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, a disease that attacks the brain and results in impaired memory, thinking and behavior.

This event is free and open to the public, but reservations are required. For more information or to make a reservation, call the Alzheimer's Association at (800) 980-9080.