September 22, 2025 • 11 mins
We spoke with Laura Hoffman, Executive Director of Alzheimer's Association Connecticut Chapter, about the organization's support services, care options and education for families facing the disease, caregivers, and professionals.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning, Thank you for listening to Community Access. I'm
Allison de Murz. My guest today is Laura Hoffman. She
is executive director of the Alzheimer's Association Connecticut Chapter.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Good morning, good morning, How are you doing today?
Speaker 1 (00:13):
I'm great, Thank you, thank you for being here. Of course,
tell me how did the Alzheimer's Association Connecticut Chapter come about?
Speaker 2 (00:20):
While the organization was formed over forty years ago, and
there were multiple chapters here in Connecticut doing the great
work that we continue to do, and roughly eight years
ago we all decided to go under the Alzheimer's Association
umbrella and become one chapter here in Connecticut serving everyone,
(00:41):
which is what happened across the entire United States.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Now you have your own personal story with Alzheimer's, correct,
of course, and.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
So many of us that work here do. My grandfather
is currently living with Alzheimer's and he lives in a
very rural community in another state, so I certainly understand
and appreciate the caregiving that my mom and aunts do
for him and utilize our services. And then my mother
in law was living with Alzheimer's when she has to
(01:11):
weigh so it is certainly a mission that is near
and dear to me and to my family.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
What are some of the statistics nationwide and in Connecticut
concerning this disease?
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Sure, so there's over seven million Americans that are living
with Alzheimer's and roughly eighty thousand that are living here
in Connecticut, and you know, we know that number is
going to continue to grow with the aging population. So
you know, the lifetime risk for Alzheimer's at age forty
(01:42):
five is one in five for women and one in
ten for men. So there's you know, there's certainly a
lot that individuals, you know, should be looking for. They
have any memory concerns, talking to their doctor, and if
it's in their family, they are more likely to develop
the disease at some point.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Are there warning signs of Alzheimer's disease?
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Yeah, so certainly things that you want to be looking for.
Of course, memory loss just forgetting recent events, you know,
maybe difficulty recalling information or you're repeating questions. So certainly
not just you know, why do they walk into the kitchen,
because we're all doing a lot of things all at once.
But if you walk into the kitchen continually and you're like,
(02:24):
why am I coming in here are you're very confused
with time and place, certainly problems with any spatial navigation,
and difficulty with familiar tasks. If you start to withdraw
from social activities or you have a reduced interest in
hobbies and social gatherings, that could be a warning sign.
(02:45):
And it certainly changes in mood and personality. So those
are just some of the things that you want to
be looking for.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
And a genetic component as well or.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
No, there are research studies that are looking into genetics.
We do know that it is in your family. You
are potentially at risk to developing the disease at some point,
but there are some families that you know, maybe a
parent or a grandparent was living with Alzheimer's and they
have not developed the disease. That's why research continues to
(03:14):
be important. And you know, you know, if it's in
your family, you know certainly getting involved in a trial.
We need individuals that have healthy brains as well as
individuals that are currently living with this to these So
for people looking to do something, that's something that they
can do right now and it's very easy.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Are there ways to reduce your risk?
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Yes, So we now have the ten healthy habits for
your brain, and we actually do presentations on this throughout
the community. But we want you to get moving. So
we know engaging in regular exercise is going to increase
blood flow and brain excuse me, to your brain and
to your body, of course, protecting your head. So if
you're riding a bike, wearing a helmet, wearing your seatbelt,
(03:57):
if you're in a car, those are some of the
things that you can being smoke free, living by that
Mediterranean diet that can also reduce your risk, controlling your
blood pressure and then maintaining a healthy weight, and of
course something I think many of us struggle with sleeping well,
so really aiming to sleep for eight hours each evening.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
I know that people have a difficult time falling asleep
staying asleep, and they'll say, oh, I got about five
six hours.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
I'm like that's not enough, right, right, because when you're sleeping,
that's when the toxins are leaving your brain. Obviously your
body has time to rest, so you know, certainly before
going to bed, staying off your screen, maybe reading a book,
doing some meditation, doing something that's going to tell your
body it's time to rest. And of course if you've
(04:46):
exercised or done something else throughout the day. Your body
should be tired.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
You mentioned some ways that the Association helps families. What
are some other ways?
Speaker 2 (04:54):
Sure, So we have our twenty four to seven healthline,
and if anyone that's listening today could walk away with something,
it is. That helpline available twenty four hours a day,
seven days a week, and it's spoken in over two
hundred languages, so it's really beneficial to the entire community.
And you can call that number if you suspect that
(05:17):
you might have memory concerned and you need maybe a
tip sheet, or you need a referral to someone in
your community. Perhaps you're a caregiver and you need assistance
because you can no longer brush your loved one's teeth.
We can give you tips and resources for that. You
just might need to talk to someone at three in
the morning because your loved one is trying to go
(05:38):
to work and they haven't worked in over twenty years.
So we can also help you to navigate those types
of situations, and in that one, certainly trying to get
them back to bed so that the caregiver can go
back to sleep. But we have a ton of resources
available online and again, most things are available in multiple languages.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
And what is your web address?
Speaker 2 (06:00):
It's alderg very easy and of course the helpline is
eight hundred two seven two thirty nine hundred.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
When we talk about caregivers, it's very difficult for them
sometimes to allow someone to come in their home and
help them, and they don't realize that it takes a
toll on them physically and they can get either mentally
feeling sick or physically feeling sick exactly.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
We know that caregivers are enduring a very long and
an emotionally draining process that can lead you know, it's stressful, depression, anxiety,
and just they start to neglect their personal health. So
really building that strong support system is crucial, and of
course we are here to provide vocal resources to help
them in that area. We have support groups that individuals
(06:48):
can participate in in person or even virtually. We also
have dementia care consultations that can be offered to help
navigate not just the journey for that individual that they're
caregiving for, but making sure that they're getting the resources
that they need to.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
I know that in my own case with my grandmother,
I had some family members they would get frustrated. If
my grandmother repeated something or said something that actually wasn't true,
they would be frustrated and say, no, that's not the
way it is. She has to know, and I'm like,
don't bother. So some people just don't understand the disease.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
They don't and in those instances, it's really just easier
to live in their moment. You know, my mother in
law would sometimes comment on the weather and it might
be snowing outside and she would be talking about, you know,
a gorgeous summer day. She's also from Florida, so it's
really just not bringing her back to the fact that
it's you know, it's wintertime and snowing, But you know,
what do you like about the sunshine? What did you
(07:44):
enjoy about summer? Because maybe that's triggering a different memory
for them.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Yeah, just go with it, That's what I say. Don't
argue with them, Just go with it. It's so much easier.
Was it your family that wore either the T shirts
or the name tags with the names on them?
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Not my family, but I certainly you know there there's
I'm sure one hundred different tricks that you casuals have used.
Just to make things a little bit easier for them,
you know, whether it's wearing name tags labeling where dishes
might go. We've heard stories that individuals couldn't find the
restroom in their home any longer, but they knew what
that sign looked like that you see so loten in
(08:22):
public places. They put that on their personal home bathroom
to help their loved ones. So certainly there's a lot
of things that the helpline can also help with.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
Those and that's why it's so important to have this
knowledge to make life easier for everyone. Again, you can
go to alz dot org. There's the twenty four to
seven helpline one eight hundred two seven to two three
nine zero zero. You have a bunch of walks going
on all over the state so we can raise money
to defeat Alzheimer's and to help with all of these
(08:51):
programs and services. Let's start with the first one, September
twenty First, what's happening there.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
Yes, they're coming very quickly. Western Connecticut walk will take
place at the new Fairfield High School Rebels Stadium, So
it takes place on a track. It's a beautiful day,
and really it's a beautiful day. No matter which one
you're going to. You know, we call them our largest
support group because for so many individuals that's the first
(09:18):
time that they will interact with maybe another caregiver or
someone that's going through that journey. For many of them,
it's their first time even learning about the Alzheimer's Association
and so the resources and support that we offer as well.
So it's just a really beautiful day that individuals come
together and know that they're not alone.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
We don't have to talk about what happens at every
single walk, but let's mention the other walks as well.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Of course. So after our Western Connecticut walk, we jump
over to the other side of the state on September
twenty seventh for our Eastern Connecticut Walk. That's at Ocean
Beach Park in New London. The very next day we
go over to Whitehouse Point Park on September twenty eighth,
that's the Greater New Haven Walk. For those in the
(10:06):
Hartford area, that's a double walk weekend as well. October
eighteenth is the Central Connecticut Walk at Rockwell Park in Bristol.
On the next day, October nineteenth is the Greater Hartford Walk.
It takes place at Renchler Field over in East Hartford
and then we round out our season down in Fairfield
(10:27):
County at Sherwood Island in Westport on October twenty sixth,
So we try to be about an hour away from
anyone that lives in Connecticut so that everyone has the
opportunity to join us. You know, it is a beautiful day.
Everyone is sharing their why. You know. My personal favorite
is our Promise Garden ceremony. Everyone that comes to the
(10:48):
walk has the opportunity to pick up a colored flower
that represents why they are there. And there's four of them.
There's yellow if you're a caregiver, orange if you're just
supporting the cause, purple if you've lost someone, in blue
if you're living with the disease. And so we hold
all of those up during our program. And then there's
(11:08):
one white flower that's our hope flower. It represents that
one day we hope to have more of those white
flowers in our garden and that data we find a
cure or potentially cures to the disease. And it's really
just a very moving day. I always have to excuse
myself from whoever I might be standing around because it
brings me to tears. But I always say, if anyone
(11:31):
can do it, it's our volunteers and those individuals that
are fundraising for us.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
Wonderful. I'm speaking with Laura Hoffman, executive director of the
Alzheimer's Association Connecticut Chapter. Thank you so much for being
here today. For anyone who would like to volunteer, donate,
find out more about the walks, the programs, or the services,
it's just alz dot org. It's that simple. Thank you
so much for being here today and for serving the community.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
Of course, thank you so much for having me
Good morning, Thank you for listening to Community Access. I'm
Allison de Murz. My guest today is Laura Hoffman. She
is executive director of the Alzheimer's Association Connecticut Chapter.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Good morning, good morning, How are you doing today?
Speaker 1 (00:13):
I'm great, Thank you, thank you for being here. Of course,
tell me how did the Alzheimer's Association Connecticut Chapter come about?
Speaker 2 (00:20):
While the organization was formed over forty years ago, and
there were multiple chapters here in Connecticut doing the great
work that we continue to do, and roughly eight years
ago we all decided to go under the Alzheimer's Association
umbrella and become one chapter here in Connecticut serving everyone,
(00:41):
which is what happened across the entire United States.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Now you have your own personal story with Alzheimer's, correct,
of course, and.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
So many of us that work here do. My grandfather
is currently living with Alzheimer's and he lives in a
very rural community in another state, so I certainly understand
and appreciate the caregiving that my mom and aunts do
for him and utilize our services. And then my mother
in law was living with Alzheimer's when she has to
(01:11):
weigh so it is certainly a mission that is near
and dear to me and to my family.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
What are some of the statistics nationwide and in Connecticut
concerning this disease?
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Sure, so there's over seven million Americans that are living
with Alzheimer's and roughly eighty thousand that are living here
in Connecticut, and you know, we know that number is
going to continue to grow with the aging population. So
you know, the lifetime risk for Alzheimer's at age forty
(01:42):
five is one in five for women and one in
ten for men. So there's you know, there's certainly a
lot that individuals, you know, should be looking for. They
have any memory concerns, talking to their doctor, and if
it's in their family, they are more likely to develop
the disease at some point.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Are there warning signs of Alzheimer's disease?
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Yeah, so certainly things that you want to be looking for.
Of course, memory loss just forgetting recent events, you know,
maybe difficulty recalling information or you're repeating questions. So certainly
not just you know, why do they walk into the kitchen,
because we're all doing a lot of things all at once.
But if you walk into the kitchen continually and you're like,
(02:24):
why am I coming in here are you're very confused
with time and place, certainly problems with any spatial navigation,
and difficulty with familiar tasks. If you start to withdraw
from social activities or you have a reduced interest in
hobbies and social gatherings, that could be a warning sign.
(02:45):
And it certainly changes in mood and personality. So those
are just some of the things that you want to
be looking for.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
And a genetic component as well or.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
No, there are research studies that are looking into genetics.
We do know that it is in your family. You
are potentially at risk to developing the disease at some point,
but there are some families that you know, maybe a
parent or a grandparent was living with Alzheimer's and they
have not developed the disease. That's why research continues to
(03:14):
be important. And you know, you know, if it's in
your family, you know certainly getting involved in a trial.
We need individuals that have healthy brains as well as
individuals that are currently living with this to these So
for people looking to do something, that's something that they
can do right now and it's very easy.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Are there ways to reduce your risk?
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Yes, So we now have the ten healthy habits for
your brain, and we actually do presentations on this throughout
the community. But we want you to get moving. So
we know engaging in regular exercise is going to increase
blood flow and brain excuse me, to your brain and
to your body, of course, protecting your head. So if
you're riding a bike, wearing a helmet, wearing your seatbelt,
(03:57):
if you're in a car, those are some of the
things that you can being smoke free, living by that
Mediterranean diet that can also reduce your risk, controlling your
blood pressure and then maintaining a healthy weight, and of
course something I think many of us struggle with sleeping well,
so really aiming to sleep for eight hours each evening.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
I know that people have a difficult time falling asleep
staying asleep, and they'll say, oh, I got about five
six hours.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
I'm like that's not enough, right, right, because when you're sleeping,
that's when the toxins are leaving your brain. Obviously your
body has time to rest, so you know, certainly before
going to bed, staying off your screen, maybe reading a book,
doing some meditation, doing something that's going to tell your
body it's time to rest. And of course if you've
(04:46):
exercised or done something else throughout the day. Your body
should be tired.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
You mentioned some ways that the Association helps families. What
are some other ways?
Speaker 2 (04:54):
Sure, So we have our twenty four to seven healthline,
and if anyone that's listening today could walk away with something,
it is. That helpline available twenty four hours a day,
seven days a week, and it's spoken in over two
hundred languages, so it's really beneficial to the entire community.
And you can call that number if you suspect that
(05:17):
you might have memory concerned and you need maybe a
tip sheet, or you need a referral to someone in
your community. Perhaps you're a caregiver and you need assistance
because you can no longer brush your loved one's teeth.
We can give you tips and resources for that. You
just might need to talk to someone at three in
the morning because your loved one is trying to go
(05:38):
to work and they haven't worked in over twenty years.
So we can also help you to navigate those types
of situations, and in that one, certainly trying to get
them back to bed so that the caregiver can go
back to sleep. But we have a ton of resources
available online and again, most things are available in multiple languages.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
And what is your web address?
Speaker 2 (06:00):
It's alderg very easy and of course the helpline is
eight hundred two seven two thirty nine hundred.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
When we talk about caregivers, it's very difficult for them
sometimes to allow someone to come in their home and
help them, and they don't realize that it takes a
toll on them physically and they can get either mentally
feeling sick or physically feeling sick exactly.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
We know that caregivers are enduring a very long and
an emotionally draining process that can lead you know, it's stressful, depression, anxiety,
and just they start to neglect their personal health. So
really building that strong support system is crucial, and of
course we are here to provide vocal resources to help
them in that area. We have support groups that individuals
(06:48):
can participate in in person or even virtually. We also
have dementia care consultations that can be offered to help
navigate not just the journey for that individual that they're
caregiving for, but making sure that they're getting the resources
that they need to.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
I know that in my own case with my grandmother,
I had some family members they would get frustrated. If
my grandmother repeated something or said something that actually wasn't true,
they would be frustrated and say, no, that's not the
way it is. She has to know, and I'm like,
don't bother. So some people just don't understand the disease.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
They don't and in those instances, it's really just easier
to live in their moment. You know, my mother in
law would sometimes comment on the weather and it might
be snowing outside and she would be talking about, you know,
a gorgeous summer day. She's also from Florida, so it's
really just not bringing her back to the fact that
it's you know, it's wintertime and snowing, But you know,
what do you like about the sunshine? What did you
(07:44):
enjoy about summer? Because maybe that's triggering a different memory
for them.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Yeah, just go with it, That's what I say. Don't
argue with them, Just go with it. It's so much easier.
Was it your family that wore either the T shirts
or the name tags with the names on them?
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Not my family, but I certainly you know there there's
I'm sure one hundred different tricks that you casuals have used.
Just to make things a little bit easier for them,
you know, whether it's wearing name tags labeling where dishes
might go. We've heard stories that individuals couldn't find the
restroom in their home any longer, but they knew what
that sign looked like that you see so loten in
(08:22):
public places. They put that on their personal home bathroom
to help their loved ones. So certainly there's a lot
of things that the helpline can also help with.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
Those and that's why it's so important to have this
knowledge to make life easier for everyone. Again, you can
go to alz dot org. There's the twenty four to
seven helpline one eight hundred two seven to two three
nine zero zero. You have a bunch of walks going
on all over the state so we can raise money
to defeat Alzheimer's and to help with all of these
(08:51):
programs and services. Let's start with the first one, September
twenty First, what's happening there.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
Yes, they're coming very quickly. Western Connecticut walk will take
place at the new Fairfield High School Rebels Stadium, So
it takes place on a track. It's a beautiful day,
and really it's a beautiful day. No matter which one
you're going to. You know, we call them our largest
support group because for so many individuals that's the first
(09:18):
time that they will interact with maybe another caregiver or
someone that's going through that journey. For many of them,
it's their first time even learning about the Alzheimer's Association
and so the resources and support that we offer as well.
So it's just a really beautiful day that individuals come
together and know that they're not alone.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
We don't have to talk about what happens at every
single walk, but let's mention the other walks as well.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Of course. So after our Western Connecticut walk, we jump
over to the other side of the state on September
twenty seventh for our Eastern Connecticut Walk. That's at Ocean
Beach Park in New London. The very next day we
go over to Whitehouse Point Park on September twenty eighth,
that's the Greater New Haven Walk. For those in the
(10:06):
Hartford area, that's a double walk weekend as well. October
eighteenth is the Central Connecticut Walk at Rockwell Park in Bristol.
On the next day, October nineteenth is the Greater Hartford Walk.
It takes place at Renchler Field over in East Hartford
and then we round out our season down in Fairfield
(10:27):
County at Sherwood Island in Westport on October twenty sixth,
So we try to be about an hour away from
anyone that lives in Connecticut so that everyone has the
opportunity to join us. You know, it is a beautiful day.
Everyone is sharing their why. You know. My personal favorite
is our Promise Garden ceremony. Everyone that comes to the
(10:48):
walk has the opportunity to pick up a colored flower
that represents why they are there. And there's four of them.
There's yellow if you're a caregiver, orange if you're just
supporting the cause, purple if you've lost someone, in blue
if you're living with the disease. And so we hold
all of those up during our program. And then there's
(11:08):
one white flower that's our hope flower. It represents that
one day we hope to have more of those white
flowers in our garden and that data we find a
cure or potentially cures to the disease. And it's really
just a very moving day. I always have to excuse
myself from whoever I might be standing around because it
brings me to tears. But I always say, if anyone
(11:31):
can do it, it's our volunteers and those individuals that
are fundraising for us.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
Wonderful. I'm speaking with Laura Hoffman, executive director of the
Alzheimer's Association Connecticut Chapter. Thank you so much for being
here today. For anyone who would like to volunteer, donate,
find out more about the walks, the programs, or the services,
it's just alz dot org. It's that simple. Thank you
so much for being here today and for serving the community.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
Of course, thank you so much for having me
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