Media Advisory: International dementia expert in Buffalo, available to speak on caring for nation’s rapidly aging population

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Ann Kolanowski, an internationally renowned expert on dementia and the complex care needs of the elderly, will be available to media tomorrow at the University at Buffalo to discuss the difficulties of delirium and caring for aging populations.

Kolanowski will deliver the 21st Annual Bonnie Bullough Lecture at the UB School of Nursing’s Research Day, which unites nursing scholars across Western New York to discuss and share advancements in the study of pressing health care issues.

Her lecture, “The Challenge of Delirium in People Living with Dementia,” will explore the differences between delirium and dementia and caring for people with both conditions, and share her recent findings on the effect of cognitive activities for people with delirium and dementia.

When: Friday, April 20, from 3-4 p.m.

Where: 403 Hayes Hall on the UB South Campus. A map of the campus is available here (Hayes Hall is building No. 1) https://bit.ly/2qP4OMi.

Media are invited to attend. On-site contact is Marcene Robinson, marcener@buffalo.edu or 716-207-5814.

Why: Dementia, a group of progressive conditions that impair memory, thinking and behavior, affects more than 5 million Americans, or roughly one in 10 people age 65 and older. The number of people diagnosed with the disease is expected to triple by 2050, according to the Alzheimer's Association.

Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia are the sixth-leading cause of death in the U.S., more than breast and prostate cancer combined. And the disease takes its toll on the economy as well, costing the nation more than $250 billion each year in health care, with an additional $230 billion in unpaid care provided by caregivers, according to the Alzheimer's Association.

About Ann Kolanowski

Kolanowski, PhD, is a professor of nursing and psychiatry at Pennsylvania State University. Her studies have explored behavior in elderly people with dementia, dementia’s role in the drug burden in nursing homes, and treatments for dementia and delirium that don’t involve the prescription of drugs.