For more than 80 years, senior centers have provided access to support services and opportunities for healthy aging in a highly social setting in towns and neighborhoods across the nation. Today, an estimated 11,000 senior centers operate as gathering places for generations of older adults to “stay active, healthy and connected,” according to the National Council on Aging.

Senior centers are very important as a way of health prevention, such as dealing with dementia issues. The activities that centers provide — both mental and physical — have been effective in slowing down the onset of dementia, according to the surgeon general and health professionals.

The Ohio Council on Cognitive Health explains there are multiple types of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, which accounts for 60% to 80% of cases. Dementia is not a specific disease — it’s a term to describe a wide range of symptoms associated with a decline in memory severe enough to reduce a person’s ability to perform everyday activities.

SCOPE is very happy to be partnering with Ohio Living Home Health and Hospice to conduct a “Dementia Live” registered experience for professionals, families, caregivers and first responders.

On Friday, Sept. 12, at the Warren Senior Center on North Park Avenue, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every half hour, four people will be provided a unique inside-out understanding of dementia as they learn the challenges facing those living with the disease. To sign up for this “Dementia Live” event, call 330-399-8846 and register.

From Dementia Friends training, I found out 30% of those with dementia live alone, 50% have no caregiver, and only 40% of those have an official diagnosis. Dementia Friends Ohio provides free virtual one-hour sessions covering the basics for families and caregivers. An emphasis is on positive messaging and stigma reduction to audiences in all community sectors. Professionals like me who became a second-level Dementia Champions designation can train virtual and in-person sessions locally. For information, email Marty Williman at mwilliman@ocfch.org.

A common myth about dementia is that it is a natural part of aging, but in fact it is not normal. Consulting your primary care physician is a good place to start if someone is experiencing memory loss or changes in thinking, problem solving or mood or personality.

Upon talking with my organization’s doctors at our federally-qualified health care facility, Valley Health Services, located behind the Robins Theatre in Warren, medical evaluations generally include an exam, neurological tests, cognitive tests, lab work, brain imaging and genetic testing to diagnose dementia. To find out more, you may set an appointment by calling 330-577-7410.

Also, HIPAA does not stop you from calling a doctor’s office to let them know if you see any symptoms from a family member, neighbor or friend. Medical professionals tell me prescription renewals are a good time for doctors to check with their patients.

The Trumbull County Senior Services theme is, “Keeping our seniors safe, healthy and mobile.”

Senior centers are mostly funded by the county levy with the rest of the revenues coming from host communities, donations and fundraisers.

SCOPE is one of only a few agencies in the Mahoning Valley that handles information and referrals to not just the elderly, but to support family members and caregivers. SCOPE also conducts individual and family training, as well as assistance with Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid; prescription discounts; grief counseling; technology training; utility discounts; tax preparations; notary and legal services; employment; housing; financial issues; and basic necessities. These programs, along with our activities and functions at our senior centers, are so important to help with loneliness, isolation and health issues. Call 330-399-8846 for more

information.