First Hill block party raises brain health awareness
Swedish First Hill was among the stops throughout the neighborhood hosting educational stations in the first annual event.
On June 21, Providence Swedish joined a host of community partners for a Brain Health Block Party to raise awareness about the importance of brain health and educate the public about practices for keeping our own brains healthy. The event was organized by the Memory Hub, a dementia-specific community center, collaborative workspace and training center located on the campus of the Frye Art Museum. It also recognized June’s Alzheimer’s and Brain Health Awareness Month.
“Our Center for Healthy Aging was grateful to be part of the Block Party and raise awareness about brain health and Alzheimer’s disease,” said Nancy Isenberg, M.D., medical director of Swedish’s Center for Health Aging.
Swedish caregivers Pinky Herrera and Dina Metti at June 21 Brain Health Block Party
Spread out at sites throughout Seattle’s First Hill neighborhood, organizations participating in the Brain Health Block Party offered a variety of information and activities that support brain health. Participants collected a stamp at each site as they moved through the venues. At Swedish First Hill, caregivers from the Swedish Neuroscience Institute (SNI) gave out samples of brain-healthy foods like dark chocolate, coconut and walnuts.
“Some 40% of dementias are preventable,” said Dina Metti, senior program manager for Swedish’s Women’s Brain Health Program. “Brain health is really about lifestyle, so we put together these brain-healthy foods for people to enjoy as they waked through the block party.”
“The event was a lighthearted, interactive way to raise awareness of brain health and Alzheimer’s disease and showcase the activities that can help support brain health,” she added.
Participants included SNI, the Frye Art Museum, UW Medicine’s Memory and Brain Wellness Center, Saint James Cathedral, Horizon House, Skyline Health Services and Murano Senior Living.
To learn more about the Center for Healthy Aging at Swedish, visit our website or call 206-320-7200.
About Providence Swedish
Providence Swedish has served the Puget Sound region since the first Providence hospital opened in Seattle in 1877 and the first Swedish hospital opened in 1910. The two organizations affiliated in 2012 and today comprise the largest health care delivery system in Western Washington, with 22,000 caregivers, eight hospitals and 244 clinics. A not-for-profit family of organizations, Providence Swedish provides more than $406 million in community benefit in the Puget Sound Region each year. The health system offers a comprehensive range of services and specialty and subspecialty care in a number of clinical areas, including cancer care, cardiovascular health, neurosciences, orthopedics, digestive health and women’s and children’s care.