Governor Tom Corbett Visits Phoebe Ministries during Alzheimer’s Awareness Month

Allentown, PA– Governor Tom Corbett visited Phoebe Ministries on Tuesday, November 26 to thank the Pennsylvania Alzheimer’s Disease State Planning Committee. Corbett toured the Allentown campus with Secretary of Aging Brian Duke, chair of the Pennsylvania Alzheimer’s Disease Planning Committee. He then addressed the members of the Pennsylvania Alzheimer’s Disease Planning Committee, thanking them for their hard work in creating a state plan to focus on the growing number of those affected by Alzheimer’s and other related dementias in Pennsylvania.

Representatives from the Alzheimer’s disease Planning Commission, United Way of the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania Council on Aging and the AARP of Pennsylvania and local Area Agencies on Aging were also in attendance along with Senator Bob Mensch, Senator Pat Browne, Representative Hal English, Representative Ryan Mackensie, Representative Mike Schlossberg and Representative Steve Samuelson.

A leader in dementia care and education, Phoebe operates six of only 10 dementia facilities in Pennsylvania recognized by The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America for the Excellence in Care Program of Distinction.

“It is our belief that every American is touched by Alzheimer’s in some way,” Corbett said. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, one in three seniors dies with Alzheimer’s or a similar dementia. Corbett proclaimed November as Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month as a recognized time to bring specific attention to individuals living with Alzheimer’s, along with their families and caregivers. “As our senior population grows, so does the number of our citizens living with Alzheimer’s disease,” Corbett said. “Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month offers an opportunity to learn more about this disease and how it touches the lives of so many Pennsylvanians.”