Alzheimer’s Association, Orange County Celebrates Grand Opening

IRVINE, Calif. - Sept. 25, 2014 - PRLog -- More than 200 supporters and friends of Alzheimer’s Association Orange County (AAOC) (http://www.alz.org/oc) celebrated the grand opening of its new building in Irvine on Saturday, Sept. 20. The building, which can be seen from the 405 freeway, will provide AAOC with the added capacity to offer more programs and services to Orange County families — and be one step closer to a world without Alzheimer’s.

In 2004, Alzheimer’s Association, Orange County (AAOC) served nearly 12,000 people annually. Over the past decade, the disease has grown to epidemic proportions – it’s now the sixth-leading cause of death in the U.S. and the fourth-leading cause here in Orange County. AAOC now serves and educates more than 30,000 people annually.

“Our goal is to serve and educate as many Orange County families as we can,” said Jim McAleer, CEO of AAOC. “Our new building will give us the space needed to centralize and serve many more families and caregivers at no-cost to them.”

AAOC currently offers several programs and services to assist those affected by Alzheimer’s, including: 24/7 helpline; support groups; care consultation and coordination; family, caregiver and community education; linking to community service and support; trial match program; and research, information and funding. In order to cater to Orange County’s diverse population, services are available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese and other languages.

AAOC board members, supporters, and volunteers were invited to explore the new building through self-guided tours and meet the staff. Local dignitaries in attendance were Irvine Mayor Steven Choi, State Assemblyman Allan Mansoor, U.S. Congressman Dana Rohrabacher and representatives from the offices of State Senators Mimi Walters and Bob Huff, State Assemblyman Donald Wagner and U.S. Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez.

At an “all purple” ribbon-cutting ceremony, McAleer shared the organization’s plans for the future and presented Irvine-based researcher Dr. Mathew Blurton-Jones (http://www.faculty.uci.edu/profile.cfm?faculty_id=5530) with a three-year research grant totaling $250,000 to advance understanding of Alzheimer’s disease.

“Alzheimer’s Association has given my team an incredible opportunity to make an impact on Alzheimer’s research,” said Blurton-Jones. “After losing my grandfather to the disease years ago, I know first-hand the impact Alzheimer’s has on families who have had to face this terrible disease.”

Funded by the national Alzheimer’s Association, the grant will allow Blurton-Jones, and his team at University of California, Irvine (http://uci.edu/) (UCI),to move forward with their research on a particularly significant gene that has been proven to increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease – TREM2 (triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2). While a number of genes have been discovered to increase risk of Alzheimer’s, many only slightly alter the risk of the disease, while TREM2 increases a person’s chance by 300 to 400 percent. Blurton-Jones will use the grant to continue research on the function of TREM2 in the brain and how it affects Alzheimer’s.

For more information on AAOC’s many programs and services, all provided free of charge, please call (949) 955-9000 or visit www.alz.org.

About Alzheimer’s Association, Orange County

The Alzheimer's Association is the world’s leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Its mission is to eliminate Alzheimer’s through the advancement of research, to provide and enhance care and support for all affected, and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. Since 1982, Alzheimer’s Association, Orange County Chapter has been providing programs and services, free of charge, to Orange County residents with Alzheimer’s and related disorders, their families, caregivers, and the community. Alzheimer’s is a neurodegenerative illness that weakens the memory and other cognitive and emotional functions. For more information, call the 24/7 Helpline at 1-800-272-3900, or visit www.alz.org/oc. Find AAOC on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ALZOC) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/OCAlzheimers).