Westbury, NY - May 16, 2016 - The Long Island Alzheimer’s Foundation, headquartered in Port Washington for more than 25 years, announced that it has launched its first Memory Fitness Center program at Amber Court, a leading Assisted living community at 3400 Brush Hollow Road, in Westbury, New York.

The Long Island Alzheimer’s Foundation (LIAF) offers critically needed social adult day programs for individuals facing Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias and their caregivers.

Statistics show that every 66 seconds someone in the United States develops Alzheimer’s disease. On Long Island the percentage of individuals over 60 is rising. It is estimated that by 2024 one third of Nassau County’s residents will be over 60 and the number will be slightly lower (26 percent) in Suffolk County. This population change will result in a significant increase in the number of individuals and families facing Alzheimer’s and related dementias on Long Island.

To address the growing need for programs, The Memory Fitness Center is now collaborating with Amber Court to bring much needed respite services to central Nassau County.

Memory Fitness Center sessions are attended by adults with memory impairment on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m at Amber Court’s state-of-the-art Memory Care environment – The Alcove. The program will include more days of the week as attendance increases in the weeks and months to come.

Weekly sessions are planned and supervised by professionally trained LIAF staff and social workers. Programs include age-related mind stimulating activities, such as word games, art and music quizzes and fitness exercises. Door-to-Door transportation on LIAF’s specialty buses are available as well as a light lunch and refreshments.

Another unique aspect of the program at Amber Court Assisted Living is the inclusion of LIAF’s ”Forget You Not” program. Forget You Not’s mission is to build connections between young adults and individuals living with Alzheimer's. The program bridges the generational gap and creates new memories to ensure that this population is not forgotten. This program was founded by 12 teens from Schreiber's High School in Port Washington, NY.

“The owners and managers of Amber Court recognize that these programs are critically important for individuals as well as their family members. We are dedicated to making the most of each person each day. At Amber Court our philosophy is focused on people and care. Including LIAF’s respite program in our community is ideal for all involved,” said Amber Court LI Regional Director Robin Marks.

“Our goal in opening The Memory Fitness Center at Amber Court is to give more people access to all our programs in order to help maintain and enhance their cognitive abilities. Caregivers are given a much needed respite while their loved ones are attending the program,” said Tori Cohen, Executive Director of the Long Island Alzheimer’s Foundation.

The Long Island Alzheimer’s Foundation services include support groups for caregivers, in-home respite and a social adult day program that runs five days a week for early, moderate and late stages of Alzheimer’s or related dementias.

This Memory Fitness Program at Amber Court Assisted Living represents the first of a series of satellite locations that the Foundation will be opening in coming months. For information call (516) 767-6856 or visit www.liaf.org.