American Health Assistance Foundation & Asbury Methodist Village to Host Special Community Screenings and Discussion of HBO Series The Alzheimer's Project

American Health Assistance Foundation & Asbury Methodist Village to Host Special Community Screenings and Discussion of HBO Series The Alzheimer's Project

American Health Assistance Foundation Researcher and Asbury Methodist Village Social Worker are Featured Facilitators

CLARKSBURG, Md., July 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Health Assistance Foundation and Asbury Methodist Village are partnering to host a special community screening and discussion of the HBO Series The Alzheimer's Project to bring awareness to the community about this devastating disease, and to share tips and information on cutting edge research.

Two parts of the four-part documentary will air on two separate Thursday evenings, July 30th and August 13th, at 6:30 p.m. in the theatre of the Rosborough Cultural Arts & Wellness Center at Asbury Methodist Village, located at 409 Russell Avenue, Gaithersburg, MD 20877. Posted event signs will guide attendees to parking and the theatre.

The event is free and open to the public. A RSVP to Amy Ostrolenk at 301-216-4747 is appreciated.

The Thursday, July 30, 2009 event will feature the HBO series segment on Caregivers, a collection of five family portraits that illustrate caring for those in different stages of Alzheimer's disease. Each highlights the sacrifices, struggles, and successes made by those experiencing their loved ones' challenges with the disease.

Barbara Mansfield will facilitate a presentation and discussion session following the screening. Barbara is a licensed clinical counselor. In her 15 years with Asbury, she served as the Director of Social Services for skilled nursing and as the Director of Social Services for assisted living. Ms. Mansfield also lectures for the Pastoral Care Department and the Education and Training Department at Asbury. Since 1994, she has facilitated an Alzheimer's support group and is currently the social worker for Morning Glory Terrace, the special neighborhood at the Wilson Health Care Center that serves those with dementia. Ms. Mansfield is also the daughter of a mother with Alzheimer's disease.

Barbara will address some of the more difficult challenges that caregiver's face and the need for caregivers to find ways to take care of themselves. "I learn so much from the caregivers who attend this support group and from the families of people who have dementia. They constantly reaffirm my belief that, in their own way, love and faithfulness are stronger than any disease," says Ms. Mansfield.

The Thursday, August 13, 2009 screening will present Part 1 of the Momentum in Science segment of the HBO documentary, which details the current explosion of knowledge within the scientific and medical communities--from imaging the earliest signs of Alzheimer's disease, to understanding the roles that genetics and lifestyle might play, to the tremendous and exciting progress in the effort to develop drugs to treat or even prevent the disease.

A presentation will follow the screening featuring J. Kevin Foskett, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Physiology and Chair of the Cell Biology and Physiology Program at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. "Dr. Foskett is an American Health Assistance Foundation 2008 grantee whose work is certainly groundbreaking, involving research into the relationship between a protein called presenilin and the brain's way of regulating calcium concentrations. Dr. Foskett has shown that presenilin disrupts the regulated calcium in cells causing a cascade of events including accumulation of free radicals, which can run amuck and ultimately lead to Alzheimer's disease. His work also looks at how the altered calcium signaling affects brain cell pathways and communication," notes Guy Eakin, Ph.D., Director of Research Grants, American Health Assistance Foundation.

Dr. Foskett will also discuss Alzheimer's disease research generally and facilitate the discussion portion of the program.

Each evening will end with light refreshments and the opportunity to gather informational pamphlets and brochures about Alzheimer's disease.

For more information, call 301-556-9365 or visit the special events page www2.ahaf.org/asbury.

About the American Health Assistance Foundation:

The American Health Assistance Foundation (AHAF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to finding cures for age-related and degenerative diseases by funding research worldwide on Alzheimer's disease, macular degeneration, and glaucoma. The American Health Assistance Foundation also provides the public with free information about these diseases, including risk factors, preventative lifestyles, available treatments, and coping strategies. For more information visit www.ahaf.org.

About Asbury Methodist Village:

Asbury Methodist Village is A Continuing Care Retirement Community that brings together in one location a diverse selection of residence choices, lifestyle options, services, health care and amenities. A continuing care retirement community continues to meet the changing needs of individuals overtime. This creates an environment designed to meet the needs and desires of a wide range of older adults. At Asbury Methodist Village, continuing care also means an emphasis on wellness, helping residents remain as healthy and active as possible. The result is genuine peace of mind on a 130-acre private retreat with softly rolling hills, elegant landscaping, and lovely ponds.

Asbury Methodist Village is part of Asbury Communities, Inc., a system of continuing care retirement communities that provide services to older adults. Asbury Communities, Inc., provides management and support services for Asbury Methodist Village, and is ranked by the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) and Ziegler Capital Markets Group's AZ 100 as the 14th largest not-for-profit, multi-site senior living organization in the country.

Source: American Health Assistance Foundation

CONTACT: Dawn Hatzer, Communications Manager, American Health Assistance
Foundation, +1-301-556-9365, dhatzer@ahaf.org; or Amy Ostrolenk, Director of
Health and Wellness, Residential Living, +1-301-216-4747,
aostrolenk@asbury.org

Web Site: http://www.ahaf.org/

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