LEWISTON – “Boomers and Their Brains: Heading Off Memory Loss into the Golden Years” will be the topic of this month’s Great Falls Forum. The talk will be from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, May 21, in Callahan Hall at the Lewiston Public Library.

Gerontologist Nancy Richeson, an associate professor in the College of Nursing and Health Professions at the University of Southern Maine, will be the speaker. Richeson holds a doctorate in gerontology from the University of Nebraska.

Also a recreational therapist, she specializes in psychosocial interventions for older adults with dementia. Her research includes programs such as pedometer-based walking programs, animal-assisted therapy, Reiki and adult education programs for people with early-stage dementia.

Through her presentation, Richeson hopes to expand the public’s awareness of the importance of preserving brain health. There is considerable urgency to her mission in view of the fact that the greatest risk for dementia is aging, and in 25 years, one in five Americans will be 65 or older.

“Over 5 million people in the United States currently have dementia and in 2050 that number is expected to increase to 16 million,” she said. “We are at the crisis point; we need to begin to understand how we might be able to prevent or slow down the progression of this disease.”

A question-and-answer session will follow the presentation. Admission to the event is free, with attendees invited to bring brown-bag lunches. Bottled water will be available.

Attendees may also take advantage of the forum’s partnership with Guthries cafe and request a sandwich to be delivered to the library in advance of the talk. Orders should be placed by calling Guthries at 376-3344. The menu is available at www.myspace.com/guthriesplace.

Partnering with the library as co-sponsors of the Great Falls Forum series are the Sun Journal, Bates College and St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center.

The Lewiston Public Library is located at 200 Lisbon St., at the corner of Pine Street. Richeson’s talk will be the final Great Falls Forum offering of the season. The 2009-10 Great Falls Forum series will begin on Sept. 17 with the program “Living With Autism: An Insider’s View,” featuring Deborah Lipsky.

For more information, contact the library at 513-3135 or visit the Web site, lplonline.org.