‘Forget Me Not’ Stage Play Raises Alzheimer’s Awareness In Black Community
More than 5 million Americans—including 210,000 Illinois residents—currently suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, and scientists expect this number to nearly triple by 2050. Experts say African Americans are two to three times more likely than white Americans to develop the disease, yet are less likely to be diagnosed.
To help raise awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and the impact it has on the African American community, Northwestern University’s Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center’s Alzheimer’s Disease Center, and African Americans Against Alzheimer’s are bringing the award-winning play, Forget Me Not, to Chicago. The play takes the audience into the life of an African American family facing Alzheimer’s disease and shows how the disease impacts everyone, from immediate family to friends and the African American community-at-large.
A panel discussion with the director and local Alzheimer’s experts will immediately follow the performance. They will answer important questions about medical and social services available in the community, and talk about local research opportunities, including the A4 Study—a landmark trial that seeks to prevent the memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s disease before symptoms ever appear.