October 1, 2007

Therapy group recruiting men with early-stage Alzheimer's

The group, Brainbuilders Men's Group, begins meeting weekly in January, but participants are being screened now. In addition to the patient group, a support group for spouses and caregivers will be offered simultaneously.

"The purpose of the Brainbuilders Men's Group is to maximize thinking, memory and language during what we call a mind workout," said Joanne Gutek, a speech-language pathologist and clinical supervisor in the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences. "We believe that cognitive function is improved by capitalizing on preserved cognitive and language abilities."

Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, and it affects 5 million people. Symptoms include memory loss, as well as a decline in language, thinking, judgment and the ability to learn.

Gutek is seeking male participants with mild to moderate cognitive and language difficulties due to early-stage dementia. Participants should be living at home, have social interests, and want to maximize their cognitive and communication abilities.

There will be a clinic fee for participants to cover materials and staffing expenses.

For more information, or to schedule a screening, contact Gutek at (765) 743-7026, jgutek@purdue.edu.

Writer: Amy Patterson Neubert, (765) 494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu

Source: Joanne M. Gutek, (765) 494-3816, jgutek@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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