A Light to Remember

The Alvin A. Dubin Alzheimer’s Resource Center and Fox Electronics hold the annual A Light To Remember ceremony on the fourth Thursday in January. This annual event was created to help raise awareness about Alzheimer's disease and related memory impairments and raise much-needed funds for the Alvin A. Dubin Alzheimer's Resource Center. Friends and families of Lee County residents with Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder gather at dusk in Centennial Park to honor and remember their loved ones who have experienced this devastating disease. Hundreds of luminaries purchased by friends and family members in honor or remembrance of their loved ones, surround the water fountain and line the sidewalks in the park.

Special thanks to our sponsor, Fox Electronics.

Join us for our 2013 A Light To Remember Ceremony!
January 24, 2013
Centennial Park, downtown Ft. Myers
Download Luminary Form

To purchase a luminary, Download Form or call the Dubin Alzheimer's Resource Center at (239) 437-3007 or e-mail info@alzheimersswfl.org.

2013 Symposium on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia
presented by the Alvin A. Dubin Alzheimer's Center and Florida Gulf Coast University College of Health Professions and Social Work.

Symposium made possible by the Bernard P. Sweeney Endowment Fund.

Featured Speakers

• Richard Powers, MD - Renowned Geriatric Psychiatrist and Neuropathologist
• Marshal Folstein, MD - Author of numerous books including, Neurobiology of Primary Dementia and creator of the Mini-mental State Examination
• Barry Gordon, MD - Author of Memory: Remembering & Forgetting in Everyday Life
• Prominent healthcare professionals with expertise in Alzheimer’s Disease and other related dementias

Where: Florida Gulf Coast University: Cohen Center
When: 8:30a.m. – 5:00p.m. (Registration begins at 7:30a.m.)

There is no charge for the event; however, seating is limited. Please RSVP by March 5th, 2013 to (239) 437-3007.

For more information please contact Jan Kerlin, Executive Director at the Alvin A. Dubin Alzheimer’s Resource Center at (239) 437-3007; jan@alzheimersswfl.org or Angel Duncan, Health Education Specialist at angel@alzheimersswfl.org. A free lunch will be provided and CEU’s are available for Nurses, Nursing Home Administrators and Guardians. You must call with your license number to register.

Brushstrokes From The Soul - Art Show

In recognition of National Alzheimer's Awareness Month, the Alvin A. Dubin Alzheimer's Resource Center holds an art show featuring drawings by individuals experiencing the various stages of Alzheimer's disease. Brushstrokes from the Soul features art created by individuals who receive services from local assisted living facilities, skilled nursing centers, day stay programs, and retirement communities. During the month of November, the art is displayed for the Brushstrokes from the Soul annual event. All of the artwork is professionally matted and framed. Select pieces are available for purchase via silent auction at the art show event.

Corporate and business sponsors who contribute to the Dubin Alzheimer's Resource Center's annual fund raising campaign are recognized at the event

"Our annual awareness event gives us the opportunity to highlight the therapeutic benefit of creative arts programs for Alzheimer's persons and to raise awareness about Alzheimer's disease and the services we offer for memory impaired adults, their caregivers, and professionals," said Dotty St. Amand, Executive Director of the Alvin A. Dubin Alzheimer's Resource Center. "Our goal at the Dubin Alzheimer's Resource Center is to educate the public regarding the disease, while offering outreach and support programs to help families and caregivers."

Special thanks to our Grand Sponsor,
Arden Courts

Join us for the Brushstrokes From The Soul - 2012 Art Show
Reception 5:30 - 7:30pm November 15, 2012
Alvin A. Dubin Alzheimers Resource Center
12468 Brantley Commons Court, Fort Myers, Florida

A Light to Remember

The Alvin A. Dubin Alzheimer’s Resource Center and Fox Electronics hold the annual A Light To Remember ceremony on the fourth Thursday in January. This annual event was created to help raise awareness about Alzheimer's disease and related memory impairments and raise much-needed funds for the Alvin A. Dubin Alzheimer's Resource Center. Friends and families of Lee County residents with Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder gather at dusk in Centennial Park to honor and remember their loved ones who have experienced this devastating disease. Hundreds of luminaries purchased by friends and family members in honor or remembrance of their loved ones, surround the water fountain and line the sidewalks in the park.

Special thanks to our sponsor, Fox Electronics.

Join us for our 2013 A Light To Remember Ceremony!
January 24, 2013
Centennial Park, downtown Ft. Myers

To purchase a luminary, Download Form or call the Dubin Alzheimer's Resource Center at (239) 437-3007 or e-mail info@alzheimersswfl.org.

Two Local Physicians Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise awareness and funds for Alvin Dubin Alzheimer's Resource Center

As a physician who serves a large Medicare/senior population, one would think that Dr. John Cossu would be well equipped with a knowledge of the Medicare process and acquired coping skills to deal with same.  However, when he found out that his mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease at the age of 68 quite the contrary became evident. Dr. John Cossu found himself helpless, fearful, and in despair that he could not find a medication, treatment, or rehabilitation plan that would rid his loving mother from a disease that would last eventually for 8 years; a disease that would rob her of her ability to perform the daily tasks that she, up until the diagnosis, was so efficient in accomplishing; a disease that made her laughter fade, and later even made her most precious family unrecognizable to her. Through Barbara Cossu's battle with Alzheimer's, her son, Dr. John Cossu never gave up hope that he would find some kind of data or drug that could spare and rid his mom of the horrible disease that would ultimately deprive his mother of her golden years.

While Dr. John Cossu was unable to find any research that could save his mother, he continues to be reminded of the disease as he sees some of his own patients and their family members mirror the very same experience and struggles he had with Alzheimer's. Dr. Cossu is still on a mission to make a difference for those suffering from Alzheimer's and that is why he is climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in the name of the Alvin Dubin Alzheimer's Resource Center. Mt. Kilimanjaro is the highest free-standing mountain in the world, and the highest mountain on the African continent at 5,896 miles. This climb is said to be, for mountain climbers, one of the most physically and mentally challenging climbs in the world. Ironically, fighting Alzheimer’s akin to this struggle and is also an extremely hard and long process for all those involved.

Dr. John Cossu, his wife and practice partner Dr. Cynthia Lukasiewicz (whose own grandmother suffered from Alzheimer's) hope to raise money through donations and sponsorships to help other families find the resources and support so needed to cope with this particular debilitating disease.

If you would like to make a donation on behalf of Dr. Cossu’s and Dr. Lukasiewicz’s “Climb for Alzheimer's” please make your check payable to the Alvin Dubin Alzheimer Resource Center and reference “Climb for Alzheimer’s” and mail it to : 12468 Brantley Commons Court Ft. Myers, FL 33907.