Arlington Heights hosting Alzheimer's Awareness Day event Tuesday

The village of Arlington Heights will partner Tuesday with Lutheran Home for an educational event surrounding Alzheimer's disease.

It's the first time the senior living community and village are co-sponsoring what's being billed Alzheimer's Awareness Day in Arlington Heights.

At least 100 people have registered for the free event, but there's still room for walk-in attendees, according to Linda Smith, Lutheran Home's marketing director. Lutheran Home is at 800 W. Oakton St.

After a 9 a.m. complimentary breakfast, the presentation begins at 9:30 a.m. with Mayor Tom Hayes, who will read a proclamation designating Nov. 12 as Alzheimer's Awareness Day in the village.

U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, whose 9th Congressional District includes portions of Arlington Heights, will speak about her work on senior issues.

The 10 a.m. keynote speaker is Richard Apple, a Rockford resident who has participated in clinical trials to help find a cure for the disease.

At 11 a.m., organizers will give a presentation detailing the Global Alzheimer's Platform Foundation's Acti-v8 Your Brain initiative, which is centered around eight pillars of brain health: eat well, stay active, sleep well, exercise your brain, connect with friends and family, relax and reduce stress, control risk factors, and get involved in research.

Smith said there also will be tables set up corresponding to each of the eight pillars, where attendees can punch a “passport” after visiting each one to win prizes. For instance, there will be recipes and nutritional information at the “eat well” table, and a brain game at the “exercise your brain” table.

Last July, Lutheran Home hosted a university-style program on Alzheimer's and is planning another in the spring, Smith said.