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?Learning to Speak Alzheimer’s’ author to speak at SUNY Upstate Alzheimer’s conference June 10

Joanne Koenig Coste, a leading expert on Alzheimer’s Disease whose groundbreaking book, “Learning to Speak Alzheimer’s,” offers practical advice on caring for Alzheimer’s patients, will deliver the keynote address at SUNY Upstate Medical University’s Alzheimer’s 2004 conference June 10 at the Justin’s Grill and Conference Center, 6400 Yorktown Circle, East Syracuse.

Koenig Coste, hailed by NBC News as a “woman to watch in the 21st Century,” writes from personal experience as her husband was diagnosed with the disease shortly after the birth of their fourth child.

Included in her book is advice such as:

? Live in the patient’s world. Never chastise or try to reason with the patient. Join him in his current “place” or “time.”

? Focus on remaining skills. Value what abilities remain. Help the patient compensate for any lost abilities without bring them to his or her attention.

More than 4 million Americans are afflicted with Alzheimer’s Disease for which there is no cure. Such prominent public figures as Ronald Reagan and Charlton Heston have grappled publicly with the disease.

Editor’s Note: Koenig Coste will be available for interviews immediately following her keynote presentation, which runs from 9:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.