Two-time Emmy Award-winning CBS News correspondent Barry Petersen is coming to Naples to share the heart-wrenching story of losing his beloved wife to Alzheimer’s Disease. Petersen will be the keynote speaker during a community forum on dementia care presented by the Naples Senior Center at JFCS. It runs from 8 a.m.-noon Thursday, Feb. 8 at the Club at Mediterra on 15755 Corso Mediterra Circle.
Jan’s Story:
Love Lost to the Long Goodbye of Alzheimer’s doubles as the name of the event and the title of the book Petersen published in 2010, five years after his wife’s diagnosis and three years before her death. Jan Petersen was a television journalist like her husband, working for CNN, ABC and CBS News at various times, but by the time the book came out, she no longer remembered Barry or their lives together.Following the keynote, Petersen will join Dr. Ron Garry, Board Certified Gerontologist, and Dr. Jaclynn Faffer, president and CEO of the Naples Senior Center at JFCS, for a panel discussion facilitated by Jeff Lytle, retired Naples Daily News columnist, editorial page editor, and TV host. The event will wrap up with a question-and-answer session and book signing.
“The goal is to create a venue for raising awareness and encouraging dialogue so the community can join together to address the growing needs of senior citizens in Southwest Florida,” Faffer said.
The forum is sponsored by the William E. Wiener Trust. Breakfast is included along with the $50 price of admission. Tickets are available by calling Laura Bidireanu at 239-325-4444 or visiting naplesseniorcenter.org.
