Mayo Clinic Conference on Brain Health and Dementia to welcome people living with dementia, caregivers and health care providers

Newswise — ROCHESTER, Minn. ― The inaugural Mayo Clinic Conference on Brain Health and Dementia will be held virtually on Oct. 29 from 9:15 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. CDT with an optional workshop to follow. The event is a collaboration among Mayo Clinic, AARP and the Alzheimer's Association.

This conference, which was formerly known as Meeting of the Minds, will recognize all that people who live with dementia and their families have experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Even though we aren't gathering in person during the pandemic, this event will be an opportunity to learn, gain a renewed sense of hope and remind this community that we are all in this together," says Angela Lunde of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at Mayo Clinic. Lunde is the conference's co-director.

Program highlights include:

• Featured speaker Jason Karlawish, M.D., author of the newly released book, "The Problem of Alzheimer's: How Science, Culture and Politics Turned a Rare Disease Into a Crisis and What We Can Do About It."
• Hopefest, a celebration of new and promising programs to improve well-being for those living with dementia and their care partners.
• Experts from Mayo Clinic, the University of Minnesota, AARP and the Alzheimer's Association discussing the latest research on brain health and dementia, and answering questions.

"This conference will bring together cutting-edge science with practical considerations for people experiencing cognitive issues and their families," says Ronald Petersen, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at Mayo Clinic.

The virtual conference is free for general registration. Those who are encouraged to attend are people with dementia, their care partners and family members, health care providers and other professionals who serve older adults, and anyone interested in supporting friends and neighbors who may be experiencing memory loss, Alzheimer's disease or related dementia. Continuing education credit is available.

For information on registration, visit the conference website.

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About Mayo Clinic's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center
The Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at Mayo Clinic promotes research and education about healthy brain aging, mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's disease, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia, and other related dementias. Research in the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center has led to the detection of biomarkers and advanced neuroimaging tests, in turn paving the way for potential new prevention therapies and treatments for early Alzheimer's disease.

About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news. For information on COVID-19, including Mayo Clinic's Coronavirus Map tracking tool, which has 14-day forecasting on COVID-19 trends, visit the Mayo Clinic COVID-19 Resource Center.