by Dennis Dalman
editor@thenewsleaders.com
A group called ACT on Alzheimer’s Sartell is determined to help put Sartell on the map as an “dementia-friendly” city, and it will kick off that effort with a meeting from 5:30-7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 22 at House of Pizza.
The restaurant is located in Pine Cone Marketplace plaza at 1733 Pinecone Road S.
Complimentary appetizers and pizza will be served from 5:30-6 p.m., along with happy-hour specials.
Admission to the event is free, but organizers are asking people to register in advance by going to www.eventbrite.com.
The meeting will be informal with time for a question-and-answer session, as well as a presentation about Alzheimer’s and its diagnosis by a guest speaker.
Schoephoerster
The special guest speaker, starting at 6 p.m., will be Dr. George Schoephoerster, an expert on Alzheimer’s disease. Schoephoerster, of St. Cloud, works with a team to provide primary care for about 300 nursing-home residents in five nursing homes in the cities of Sauk Rapids, St. Cloud, Cold Spring, Elk River and Monticello. He serves as medical director for three of those homes. The doctor and his team work to find out and meet the individualized needs of each patient in a way that meets their values and goals, allowing families to spend quality time with their loved ones in the twilight years of their lives.
He is the author or co-author of scholarly articles about Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
For the past 10 years, Schoephoerster has also had an interest in health-care reform, especially as it relates to improving the value of care to Minnesota seniors in long-term-care facilities.
Schoephoerster has a doctorate in medicine from the University of Iowa (Iowa City) and did his family-medicine residency at Akron General Medical Center in Ohio.
The event at House of Pizza is sponsored by House of Pizza, St. Croix Hospice and The Legends at Heritage Place.
Alzheimer’s
According to medical experts, there are now about five million people living with Alzheimer’s disease in the United States. By the year 2050, they expect that number to more than triple, to 16 million as the baby-boomer generation becomes ever older.
Sartell is one of 35 Minnesota cities whose residents work together to improve the lives of people with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers. ACT on Alzheimer’s is a volunteer-driven, statewide collaboration that is preparing the state for the impacts of the disease and related dementias.
One of ACT’s goals is to help cities become dementia-capable, meaning a climate of informed, safe places that respect people with dementia, their families and caregivers, and then helps provide options to support the best possible quality of life.
Input into ACT on Alzheimer’s Sartell and support for the effort comes from many sources: the City of Sartell, the Sartell Police Department, St. Croix Hospice, St. Francis Xavier Church, Recovery Health, the Legends at Heritage Place, the Sartell Senior Connection, A Home for the Day, State Rep. Tim O’Driscoll, Sartell-St. Stephen Community Education, Spectrum Health Cos., Stearns County Human Services, the Central Minnesota Council on Aging, Country Manor Campus and the Stearns History Museum.
Erica Frey
“This is a personal passion of mine,” said Erica Frey, community coordinator for ACT Sartell. “And this community has already embraced this (effort).”
Frey is also director of human resources for Spectrum Health Cos., its main office based in St. Cloud. The company works in the areas of assisted living and at-home care.
ACT on Alzheimer’s Sartell was formed only four months ago, in June. Since then, they’ve already started an ACT Facebook page and a page on the Sartell Senior Connection’s monthly newsletter, of which Frey is the graphic designer.
“We’re really excited about this kick-off meeting,” Frey said. “The group has been meeting the third Tuesday of every month at the Sartell-St. Stephen District Services Building, and anyone is welcome to join us.”
The group is always in need of volunteers and financial donations. For more about ACT and how to help, call Frey’s cell phone at 320-492-8905. Or go to facebook.com, then under the Search button, type in ACTsartellcommunity.
Dr. George Schoephoerster
