American Health Assistance Foundation and Asbury Methodist Village Host Age-Related Disease Expert Panel & Special Community Screening and Discussion of Independent Film Carried Away
CLARKSBURG, MD.-The American Health Assistance Foundation and Asbury Methodist Village are partnering to host a special community day on Wednesday, September 22 as part of Healthy Aging Month. Events that are open to the public and free of charge include an age-related disease expert panel focusing on cutting edge research on Alzheimer's disease, glaucoma and macular degeneration, and a screening and discussion of the independent film Carried Away to bring awareness about these devastating diseases and to share care giving tips.
The expert panel will be held on Wednesday, September 22 from 1:30 - 3 p.m. in the Park View Club Room at Asbury Methodist Village, 211 Russell Avenue, Gaithersburg, MD 20877. Following the expert panel, there will be coffee and a discussion forum from 3 - 4 p.m., with the director of the film to be shown later that evening.
The film will be aired on Wednesday evening, September 22nd at 6:30 p.m. in the theatre of the Rosborough Cultural Arts and Wellness Center also located at Asbury Methodist Village. Event signs will be posted guiding attendees to the building and parking. RSVPs for the day's events should go to Amy Ostrolenk at Asbury Methodist Village (301-216-4747) or aostrolenk@asbury.org.
The expert panel will feature Ali Hafezi-Moghadam, M.D., Ph.D., Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, macular degeneration expert; Jeffrey Goldberg, M.D., Ph.D., Bascom Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, glaucoma expert; and Linda Van Eldik, Ph.D., University of Kentucky Research Foundation, Alzheimer's disease expert.
“These experts are all current grantees from the American Health Assistance Foundation who are working hard to find new treatments and cures for age-related diseases,” said Guy Eakin, Ph.D., AHAF Vice President of Scientific Affairs. “We are pleased to be able to partner with Asbury Methodist Village to bring this informative panel to educate the community on the latest research into these devastating diseases.”
Prior to the Carried Away film, Barbara Mansfield, a licensed clinical counselor at Asbury Methodist Village, will address some of the more difficult challenges that caregivers face and the need for caregivers to find ways to take care of themselves. “I have learned so much from the caregivers who attend our support group and from the families of our residents who have dementia. They constantly reaffirm my belief that, in their own way, love and faithfulness are stronger than any disease,” said Ms. Mansfield.
The independent film, Carried Away, written, directed and produced by Tom Huckabee, an award-winning writer and producer tells the story of a young man who returns home to find his family in turmoil and his beloved grandmother in a nursing home. In defiance of his father, but with Granny's cooperation, he kidnaps her intent on taking her back to Los Angeles to live with him. His father and brothers set out after them in a cross-county pursuit that involves, humor, despair, discovery and a surprising conclusion. The film addresses the universal theme of elder care coupled with an examination of family dynamics and dysfunction.
About American Health Assistance Foundation:
The American Health Assistance Foundation 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. AHAF also provides the public with free information about these diseases, including risk factors, preventative lifestyles, available treatments, and coping strategies.
About Asbury Methodist Village:
Asbury Methodist Village (AMV) is a CARF-CCAC and EAGLE-accredited Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) that brings together in one location a diverse selection of residence choices, lifestyle options, services, health care and amenities. This creates an environment designed to meet the needs and desires of a wide range of seniors. At AMV, continuing care also means an emphasis on wellness, helping seniors remain as healthy and active as possible. Asbury Methodist Village is part of Asbury Communities, Inc., which provides management and support services for a system of continuing care retirement communities for older adults. Asbury Communities is ranked by the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) and Ziegler Capital Markets Group's AZ 100 as the 12th largest not-for-profit multi-site senior living organization in the country.