Film about dementia, Q & A session planned for Thursday at PSU

Why: A film about dementia, followed by a question-and-answer session, is planned for the Bicknell Family Center for the Arts at Pittsburg State University in September as part of a statewide tour. 

The 37-minute film will be shown in the Dotty & Bill Miller Theatre at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 7. It is free and open to the public. 

“The film addresses some of the barriers in recognizing and addressing early cognitive changes as well as supporting a hopeful, empowered approach to moving forward,” said Michelle Niedens, director of the Cognitive Care Network, part of the KU Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. 

Individuals featured in the film include those diagnosed with a form of dementia, family members, physicians, nurses, and researchers.   

“The film is aimed at the larger community as all of us interact with someone with a form of dementia – either in our families, in our neighborhoods, in our churches, in the grocery store, in our patients, or in ourselves,” Niedens said. 

“We hope students, faculty, health care providers, aging professionals, families and general community members will attend. There is a lot of stigma attached to dementias such as Alzheimer’s disease, and the more people learn and respond and the stronger the community.”   

The film is being sponsored by the KU Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and the Southeast Kansas Area Agency on Aging.