Monday, October 12, 2009

On October 15 at 7:30 pm EDT., a leading women's on-line radio show, RealWomen on Health! will be hosting a 1-hour conversation about a terminal neurological disease that affects approximately 250,000 people in the US. The show will feature Dr. Bradley Boeve, Chair, Division of Behavioral Neurology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. and Sharon S. Denny, Program Director, the Association for Frontotemporal Dementias, who will discuss the symptoms and impacts of the disease. The show will highlight a soon-to-be-released documentary film called "Planning for Hope" about FTD and include the real-life experiences from the film's creators, Susan Grant and Cindy Dilks, as well as the perspective of Sheila Bourgeault, whose husband died in early 2009 from FTD.

"Frontotemporal Dementia is often lost in the shadow of Alzheimer's disease", says Kelley Connors, MPH, Real Women on Health! radio show host and Founder of KC Healthcare Communications. Compared to the 5+ million adults living with Alzheimer's disease, this is a rare disorder. FTD usually occurs as an early-onset disease, presenting itself when a patient is in her 30s, 40s or 50s and can take a decade or more to be properly diagnosed due to lack of knowledge of the disease in the medical community, and resulting in increased healthcare costs and financial devastation for patients who are not properly diagnosed. "This show aims to increase awareness to families and healthcare professionals of the signs and symptoms of FTD, and help families understand what resources are available to help them," says Ms. Connors.

This 60-minute on-line radio show, themed "It's not Alzheimer's. FTD, the Other Dementia" will be a conversational forum open to all, especially those who are interested in learning and spreading the word about FTD. To listen to the on-line radio show, please register for the radio show first. Once you've registered, you will receive an email instructing you with the next steps. To listen to the show, once registered, please go to the Real Women on  Health! radio show page.  Please leave us your comments about the show and future topic suggestions at Real Women on Health.

About RealWomen on Health!

The on-line radio show features informative, conversational and expert commentary between RealWomen on Health! internet-based radio host and health and wellness coach, Kelley Connors, MPH, and women from the healthcare, health and lifestyle professions. According to research, over 34% of women use social media to obtain health information and take a proactive role in their own health and wellness. Together with leading experts and advocates in women's health, RealWomen on Health! blogtalkradio supports women around such areas such as sexual health, pelvic health, the change before the change, menopause transitions, caregiving, working women and stress, women's heart disease, weight management, evidence-based complementary medicine, mid-life transition and navigating the healthcare system.

About KC Healthcare Communications

KC Healthcare Communications is a public relations and marketing consultancy specializing in education and branded communications for the biotech, hospital, and pharmaceutical markets. Their expertise in public relations, market research, branding, positioning and social media helps companies connect directly with their influential audiences. The firm's women wellness marketing service, WomensWellthsm, is the only creative and strategic consultancy that provides a lens through which women make healthcare decisions.

About Planning for Hope

Planning for Hope will be a 1-hour documentary featuring the stories of patients in different stages of battling FTD, with a focus on educating both healthcare professionals and the general public about recognizing and treating FTD. Donations are needed to help complete the final stages of film production and cover distribution and promotion expenses. Your tax-deductible gift will help make a difference for future generations, and all contributions will be gratefully acknowledged in the film credits. Visit http://ftdtheotherdementia.com/donate