Who We Are

Here for You

Alzheimer’s Tennessee, Inc. was founded in 1983 by a small group of East Tennessee families.

Today the 501c3 non-profit organization still governed by a local Board of Directors advocates for top research initiatives and provides services to the more than 22,000 individuals and families facing Alzheimer’s disease and dementia in East Tennessee and the Cumberlands.

With offices in Knoxville and Cookeville, Alzheimer’s Tennessee, Inc. serves Knox and 25 other counties from Putnam in the west to Hancock in the northeast part of the state.

Contact Us

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 What We Do

Alzheimer’s Tennessee, Inc. provides family support, offers community and professional education, advocates for the needs and rights of those with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, as well as research for its prevention, cure, and treatment.

Families receive assistance through such programs as the agency’s locally-staffed Helpline, consultations on care for persons with the disease, adult day care in Knox County, at least 42 support groups, help with local resources and referrals, financial assistance, in-service training opportunities for staff at area facilities, advocacy aimed at enhancements in law and policy, an annual research symposium for physicians and healthcare professionals, and educational materials and programs such as caregiver training workshops for families and professionals featuring local specialists and nationally-renowned experts.

The local group is well-known for supporting programs and research through five regional Alzheimer’s WALKs.

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History

In 1983, a small group of East Tennessee families began to meet informally in an effort to understand and cope with the ravaging effects of Alzheimer’s disease. Together, the group was able to anticipate, confront, and solve seemingly insurmountable problems with a renewed sense of hope, confidence and accomplishment.

Alzheimer’s Tennessee, Inc. began providing services in East Tennessee as a non-profit organization in 1983. Two years later, the group affiliated with the Chicago-based National Alzheimer’s Association and became known as the Alzheimer’s Association, Eastern Tennessee Chapter, Inc. However, it always remained incorporated in the state of Tennessee and governed by a local Board of Directors.

The Eastern Tennessee Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association returned to its original independent status in August 2011 to ensure that more resources support top research and local services for individuals and families struggling with the devastating disease.

“The Board had become increasingly concerned that funds raised in East Tennessee and the Cumberlands were going out of the area and limiting our ability to fund the vital programs we offer locally,” said Mary Lyn Goodman, Board President. “The fund-raising format the Chicago-based national organization recently put into place redistributes significant money raised through this great state’s volunteer spirit. 

“We want to guarantee those dollars – made possible by generous area individuals, families, foundations, companies, and countless volunteers committed to grassroots fundraising – will directly benefit local families as well as the most promising research. This community’s outstanding support along with the backing of our local media are making a huge difference in our programs.”

Through valuable community partnerships and a trusted reputation for service developed during the course of nearly three decades, Alzheimer’s Tennessee, Inc. is now focusing even greater attention on East Tennessee and the Cumberlands.

To read more about the decision to separate from the Alzheimer’s Association, click here.

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 Areas Alzheimer’s Tennessee Offers Direct Services

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anderson	Hamblen	Pickett
Blount	Hancock	Putnam
Campbell	Jackson	Roane
Claiborne	Jefferson	Scott
Clay	Knox	Sevier
Cocke	Loudon	Union
Cumberland	Monroe	Van Buren
Fentress	Morgan	White
Grainger	Overton

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Leadership 

Executive Director since 1991

Janice Wade-Whitehead
janice.wade@tnalz.org

Board of Directors

Stan Boling
Monica K. Crane, M. D.
Becky Dodson, L. S. C. W.
John Dougherty, Jr., M. D.
Robin Gibson
Mary Lyn Goodman
Roger Gribble
Faye Langley
Evelyn McNamara, B. B. A
Nancy Miller
Vonnie Oaks
Lea Ann Patrizio, L. S. C. W
David Randal Seale, M. D.
Thomas “Tank” Strickland
John H. Coleman (Honorary Board Member)