PHILIPSBURG--An estimated 200 persons sought information from the St. Maarten Alzheimer's Foundation (SMAF) which was present at two locations on Saturday at the start of its month long dementia awareness campaign.
Board members and volunteers were present giving information at Le Grand Marché on Bush Road and at Kooyman on the A.J.C. Brouwers Road.
The campaign is being held this month in observance of World Alzheimer's Month. This year's awareness is focused on how to reduce the risks of getting dementia.
Volunteers at Saturday's events included family caregivers of persons with dementia and a person living with dementia. "When the person living with a dementia condition shared their experience on how it is to live with dementia, visitors asked questions and got answers," the Foundation said on Sunday.
Leaflets were distributed with information and tips on how to reduce the risk of getting dementia and what persons can do when they have two or more of the 10 signs of dementia. Children received a World Alzheimer's Month balloon.
Many persons purchased tickets for the Family Fun Day buffet which will be held on World Alzheimer's Day on Sunday, September 21, at Emilio Wilson Estate.
The awareness activities will continue on Thursday, September 11, with an informative and educational evening at University of St. Martin from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. The event targets family members who are caregivers of persons living with dementia. The topic of the evening will be "Best Practices to live well with dementia." During the event four family caregivers will share their personal experience and their best practices to live well with someone who has dementia.
"The evening promises to be very interesting as not only family caregivers, but also persons with dementia are invited to comment on the treatment and care that they want," SMAF said. Additional information can be obtained by calling the SMAF hotline at 9220 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
