Approximately 400 families, caregivers and community organizations and a variety of agencies gathered at NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln in the Bronx for a health forum that provided insight into a disease that 5 million Americans are living with—Alzheimer’s disease. Sponsored by R.A.I.N. Alzheimer’s Caregiver Link Program and the Latino Alzheimer’s Coalition of New York, the presentations of “The Promise Made: A Caregiver’s Journey” included NYC Department for the Aging Commissioner Donna Corrado, Ph.D., Anderson Torres, Ph.D., president and CEO of R.A.I.N. Total Care, and many experts in the field, including the 100-year-old founder of R.A.I.N., Beatrice Castiglia Catullo. The event brought together the young, the elderly, experts and novices. More than 50 students from Millennium High School attended, as did many clients of senior centers, scores of professionals and many caregivers, all looking for information and supports in the community.
Most Americans living with the disease are older than 65 and most caregivers are also older than 65, so the disease takes its toll on the entire family. Critical information was given, including the progression of the disease, stages, risk factors and how to stay healthy as a caregiver. Breakout sessions included where to obtain legal and financial assistance, using community resources, speaking with the physician and supports available for the caregiver.
NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln, located at 234 E. 149th St. in the Bronx, is a 362-bed, acute care level 1 trauma center, with the busiest single site emergency department in the region. Winner of the 2012 American Hospital Association-McKesson Quest for Quality Finalist Award, and 2013 recognition as a “Top Performer on Key Quality Measures” by The Joint Commission, the hospital emphasizes primary care and specialty medicine and uses the latest advances in medical science. The hospital is a member of the NYC Health + Hospitals health care system.