The Western New York Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association will present “Sana Sana: A Bilingual Health and Wellness Conference,” on Saturday, May 16, from 12:30 to 3 p.m. at the Isaias Gonzalez Soto Library, 280 Porter Ave., Buffalo. The conference will also be accessible via Zoom.
“’Sana Sana’ means ‘heal heal’ and is from a traditional Spanish lullaby,” says Tanya Hernandez, bilingual program manager for the WNY Chapter. “This free, family-friendly event aims to center community care as the heartbeat of wellness, blending cultural wisdom, music and movement to restore body and spirit.”
The English and Spanish bilingual conference will feature a brain health awareness presentation, nourishing refreshments and fun activities, including “Brain Health Bingo.” Music and movement activities will be provided by El Batey, Buffalo’s Puerto Rican cultural center.
“We want to reach out to the area’s Hispanic community because research has shown older Hispanic Americans are one-and-a-half times more likely to experience Alzheimer’s or dementia than White Americans,” Hernandez says. “Many report facing difficulty in accessing care, including language barriers and discrimination based on race.”
The conference will share the latest research on how to protect brain health through lifestyle changes, such as physical activity, healthy nutrition and cognitive exercises, informed by the landmark U.S. POINTER study, which found that combining multiple healthy habits can protect cognition function.
Individuals can register for the in-person or Zoom option for the conference by visiting bit.ly/AlzSanaSana26 or calling 1-800-272-3900. The event is supported in part by a grant from the New York State Department of Health.
To learn more about Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias, along with local resources for caregivers, call 1-800-272-3900 or visit alz.org/WNY.
