The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America’s (AFA) national Educating America Tour will visit Fairfax on Thursday, Sept. 27, for a free Alzheimer’s and caregiver educational conference. The conference is open to family and professional caregivers, individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and the general public, and will be held at the Waterford at Fair Oaks, located at 12025 Lee Jackson Memorial Highway, in Fairfax, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The conference is designed to connect people with information about Alzheimer’s disease, brain health, healthy aging and caregiving, as well as to give them a place to have their questions answered. Guests will hear from dementia and caregiving experts who will share their research, services and stories and teach attendees about dementia, practical steps on how to be a better caregiver, and improving quality of life for those with Alzheimer’s disease.

“Knowledge is a powerful tool. We want to equip as many people as possible with important information that will help them,” said Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr., AFA’s president and chief executive officer. “With more than 140,000 people in Virginia living with the disease, and many more serving as caregivers, we aim to help individuals understand Alzheimer’s disease and improve their quality of life through education and empowerment.”

THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER will be Dr. Peter Davies, director of the Litwin-Zucker Center for Alzheimer’s Disease & Memory Disorders at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research. Davies is also a professor of pathology and neuroscience at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Norwell. For more than 35 years, Davies’ research has been focused on the biochemistry of Alzheimer’s disease, with a specific interest in the development of new treatments and diagnostic tests for Alzheimer’s disease. He will provide an update on Alzheimer’s disease research, its symptoms, and the steps researchers are taking to find a better treatment and cure.

The next session will be a panel discussion on long-term care strategies and options. Learn the different types of care plans available, and their benefits. Find out how to ensure a better quality of life for loved ones by providing dependable and affordable care.

There will also be a discussion in the five pillars of brain health, led by Sarah Lenz Lock, senior vice president of Policy, Research and International for AARP. She is also the executive director of the Global Council on Brain Health. Lock will educate people about how to improve and maintain brain health as they get older while reducing risks.

THE CONFERENCE will conclude with a session on tips to improve a difficult caregiving day. Led by Lindsey Vajpeyi, BA, ADC/MC, director of education and outreach for the Insight Memory Care Center, the session will offer strategies to help caregivers reduce their stress and improve their health, while providing the best possible care for their loved ones.

Free, confidential memory screenings will be conducted throughout the day.

For more information or to register, visit: https://alzfdn.org/event/afa-educating-america-tour-fair-oaks/.