The 2024 Memory Matters Symposium is Thursday, March 21, from 5:00 to 8 p.m. in the Event Center at Meadowlark. The public is invited to this free event; reservations are not required. Brain-healthy food will be available.

The goal of this free event, offered by the Meadowlark Memory Program, is to provide outreach and education about dementia and Alzheimer’s to those in the Flint Hills region. This year, the symposium will also highlight the latest about creating a lifestyle to encourage prevention and/or delay the onset of cognitive changes while also helping to encourage engagement and understanding. A key component is to help de-stigmatize cognitive decline and changes. This year we are honored to recognize Meadowlark resident Robert Reeves, who is underwriting this event in memory of his wife, Sue.

• 5:00 p.m. / Meet, Greet, & Eat : Featuring free brain-healthy food!
• 5:15 p.m. / “Hearing, Memory, & Living Your Best” with Dr. Timothy Steele, President & CEO of Associated Audiologists, Inc.
• 6:25 p.m. / Exercise Break + Meet & Eat
• 6:45 p.m. / “Brain-Healthy Strategies to Help Adults Maintain their Independence & Slow the Onset of Dementia” with Dr. Alyssa M. Lanzi, CCC-SLP, Assistant Professor in the Depart of Communication Sciences & Disorders, at the University of Delaware
• 7:40 p.m. / Closing Remarks

Dr. Matt Floersch, CenterPointe Physicians and Meadowlark Memory Program Medical Director, and members of the Meadowlark Memory Program Leadership team will be available to visit and answer questions. If you are unable to attend in person, you may join us via Zoom. We look forward to another great year of learning and empowerment! If you'd like more information or the Zoom linke, please call (785) 323-3899.

The Meadowlark Memory Program is designed to help those dealing with memory and cognitive changes, as well as their caregivers. This program is open to anyone affected by memory and/or cognitive changes in the Flint Hills Region. All classes and groups are free of charge. Please contact Michelle Haub or Katie Sigman to learn more at mhaub@meadowlark.org or call (785) 323-3899.

Timothy Steele, Ph.D.

Timothy Steele, Ph.D. is the first presenter of the evening. Steele’s presentation, "Hearing, Memory, and Living Your Best," will help us understand how hearing, memory, and cognition are connected. Learning about prevention and/or delaying the onset of cognitive deficits through a proactive lifestyle arms us with hope. He also will discuss newer research which supports treating hearing loss to decrease people’s risk for falls. Steele is President and CEO of Associated Audiologists, Inc., a private practice audiology clinic in the Kansas City area with eight clinics, including one in Manhattan, Kan. Steele received his undergraduate from Kansas State University and his master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Kansas. He did doctoral research in and has co-authored chapters on hearing loss rehabilitation. Steele is engaged in state/national Audiology professional organizations, serves as ad hoc graduate faculty/supervisor at KU, sits on advisory boards for Hear2Help, The HUB Argentine, and KU School of Allied Health Professions Board of Advocates.

Alyssa M. Lanzi, Ph.D.

Alyssa M. Lanzi, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Delaware and in on the Executive Committee for the Delaware Center for Cognitive Aging Research at the College of Health Sciences. Lanzi is an academic speech-language pathologist and has dedicated her clinical research career to helping rehabilitation health professionals treat functional cognitive deficits that result from Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders (ADRD).