David Satcher M.D. To Speak on National Alzheimer's Plan and Nashville's Abe's Garden Project

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Nashville, Tenn., which has received national recognition as an unparalleled center of the United State's healthcare industry, is home to yet another innovative and one-of-a-kind healthcare initiative.

Dr. David Satcher, 16th Surgeon General of the United States and former Nashvillian, will speak Tuesday, September 23 at 10:15 a.m. at the construction celebration of Abe's Garden.  Abe's Garden is a non-profit, evidence-based day / evening and residential community designed for those with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders (ADRD) as well as the site of a joint research program with Vanderbilt Center of Quality Aging in Nashville targeting improvement in the quality of dementia care. 

Dr. Satcher, who was a member of the Washington, D.C. - based Alzheimer's Study Group, which formulated and published the United States' first National Alzheimer's Strategic Plan for the Department of Health & Human Services.

As a leading expert on the national impact of the disease, as well as the primary caregiver for his wife, who has suffered from Alzheimer's for more than 12 years, Dr. Satcher will speak about the current and future science and medical practice of ADRD.  He will also discuss the need for additional research funding and the impact of Abe's Garden's evidence-based approach on addressing four goals of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease. Among these four goals are: enhancing quality care and efficiency, providing support for people with ADRD and their families, expanding public engagement, and providing data to track progress and outcomes.

Although construction for Abe's Garden is only one quarter complete, it follows more than seven years of intensive national research in best practices and is already receiving industry recognition for initiating, collaborating on, and applying research related to improved design, care and efficiency. Abe's Garden is the first and only Alzheimer's care community in the U.S. founded to research and nationally share best practices in dementia care. Next month the not-for-profit organization will begin national dissemination of the initial elements of the innovative care model, which benefits from the expertise of published leaders in senior care and design; lighting; technology; music, dance, art, pet and horticultural therapy; neurology; geriatric medicine; and numerous other disciplines. 

Among guest speakers will be U.S. Congressman Jim Cooper, Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, Grammy award winning singer songwriter Kathy Mattea and President & Chief Operating Officer of the Frist Foundation Pete Bird who will speak on their support of the project, slated for completion next summer.

The media is invited to the event from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Park Manor Senior Lifestyle Community, 115 Woodmont Blvd., the site of the Abe's Garden. The program begins at 10:15 a.m.

For more information contact Beth Zeitlin at (615) 293-5006 or at [email protected].

For more photos and media kit, please visit https://www.abesgarden.org/resources/media-information.

About Abe's Garden
Abe's Garden is a 501(c)(3) organization, founded in 2007.  In 2008, the Nashville based organization purchased Park Manor, a well-established senior independent lifestyle community; and recently converted the second floor to an assisted living community in response to the needs of current and future residents.

On the Park Manor campus, Abe's Garden will provide evidence-based adult day and evening care and residential services designed specifically for individuals suffering from Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. 

Abe's Garden will develop best practices for dementia care through a planned collaboration with Vanderbilt Center for Quality Aging. This partnership will allow Vanderbilt to develop a joint research program targeting improvement in the quality of care provided to residents. A hallmark of the collaboration is the recently endowed Vanderbilt University Abram C. Shmerling, M.D. Chair in Alzheimer's and Geriatric Medicine.

SOURCE Abe's Garden