The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America will bring free Alzheimer’s information and resources to Portland when its “Educating America” tour visits the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry on June 11.

At each stop, the nationwide tour presents a free, one-day “Concepts in Care Educational Conference” with presentations from local experts, networking opportunities, and complimentary cognitive screenings. Attendees gain access to medical news and updates on clinical research as well as innovative strategies and resources for caregivers.

The foundation selected Portland as a critical stop on the tour. "When we looked at Oregon,” said Charles J. Fuschillo Jr, the foundation’s president and chief executive officer, “we realized that there are more than 65,000 people living with Alzheimer's. If you use a multiplier of three or four, you’re looking at more than 200,000 caregivers.”

To many caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s, the experience can be overwhelming. “It’s always been one of my goals to educate individuals about this disease, to let them know that there is a place to turn to for help,” said Fuschillo. “When people leave (the conference), they have the resources and information they need to move forward. "

One of the places Oregon caregivers turn to is Thelma’s Place, an intergenerational day center with locations in Canby and Redmond. The center provides daytime respite for those caring for a loved one at home, incorporating a creative, therapeutic approach to care. At the conference, the owner of Thelma’s Place, Ellen Coburn, will share findings on arts therapies in Alzheimer’s care, and family members of participants will share their experience with this approach.

“It is a proven fact that those with Alzheimer’s will thrive better in their homes, and each person who comes to Thelma’s Place lives at home with a husband, wife, daughter or son,” said Coburn. “So (a family member) is the primary caregiver, and we give the caregiver a much-needed break while the participants are able to come five days a week, Monday through Friday, six hours a day.” She added, “Almost every one of the caregivers is working, in addition to caring for a family member.”

The Thelma’s Place program includes intergenerational care, with preschool-age children attending a day program alongside the senior participants. While the two groups spend only a portion of the day together, Coburn said bringing them together helps Thelma’s Place “bridge the gap between generations,” describing the interactions she observes between young children and their “grandpals” as nothing short of magical.

“We are changing the generations because a lot of small children are afraid of the elderly. A lot of our participants are in wheelchairs. The children are learning not to be afraid of medical equipment,” she said. “And you can imagine how the grandpals are; their faces just light up! They clap the minute the children enter the room. They’re so excited.”

Thelma’s Place provides a unique model in Oregon, one that the Alzheimer’s foundation recognized as offering something outside the box. Last year, the foundation awarded Thelma’s Place a $25,000 grant for its Intergenerational Sensory Garden, a therapeutic space that taps into the five senses through various stimulations: drums, pagoda bells, tasting centers, insect habitats, and many more.

Alzheimer’s care “evolves every single day,” said Fuschillo. “You have to make sure you are up to speed with your best practices, and Thelma’s Place truly is.”

The keynote speaker at the conference will be Dr. Michael S. Mega, a cognitive neurologist who is the director of the Center for Cognitive Health in Washington County. He will provide an overview of Alzheimer’s disease and discuss the current scientific landscape in Alzheimer’s research and clinical trials.

Mega’s session will be followed by a presentation by Garvin Reiter, an elder law attorney with Nay & Friedenberg and a member of the National Elder Law Foundation. Reiter will present on long-term care planning and options, how to devise a long-term care strategy, and some of the legal, financial, and housing issues associated with long-term care.

“Concepts in Care” educational conference

Who: Presented by Alzheimer’s Foundation of America as part of its “Educating America” tour.

When: 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 11.

Where: Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, 1945 S.E. Water Ave.

Cost: Free, registration recommended, alzfdn.org or 866-232-8484.