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The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America is hosting a free educational conference next week in Portland.

The conference will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Portland Regency Hotel and Spa.

Topics will include ways to prevent Alzheimer’s by prioritizing brain health, including through proper nutrition, exercise and social connections.

Seven million people have Alzheimer’s disease in the United States, including about 29,000 Maine residents. Recent scientific advances have resulted in new medications that have been proven to slow the progression of the disease in some patients, although more breakthroughs are needed to reduce the impacts of the devastating disease that impairs Alzheimer’s patients’ ability to function.

In addition to discussions about prevention and treatment, there will also be sessions about reducing cultural stigmas among Alzheimer’s patients, how to improve support systems for caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients, and how to safeguard your home after a diagnosis.

Free confidential memory screenings will be available on-site.

Advance registration for the conference is recommended. Go to www.alzfdn.org/tour to register.

Joe Lawlor writes about health and human services for the Press Herald. A 24-year newspaper veteran, Lawlor has worked in Ohio, Michigan and Virginia before relocating to Maine in 2013 to join the Press...

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