BETHEL — The Western Mountains Senior College program titled “To Your Health” is hosting its monthly lecture from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9, at the Bethel Congregational Church.

The focus is on recognizing the early signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

Rosabelle Tifft, chairman of the program, said that after the college’s program went on hiatus for the summer, she and other members reviewed evaluations from residents who attended their programs and discovered there was an interest in Alzheimer’s or one of the related dementias.

“We always read people’s evaluations and listen to what they want in order to keep our finger on the pulse of the community,” Tifft said. “We also check with the Bethel Health Center sometimes to see if there’s anything they think we should be talking about.”

Mark Pechenik, the director of community outreach and engagement for the Maine Alzheimer’s Association, will present the program. He will review the steps to take if you recognize a warning sign in yourself or someone you know, the process of receiving an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, and why early detection is critical.

Tifft said a follow-up program is scheduled Thursday, Nov. 6.

Since fall 2006, the Western Mountains Senior College has hosted 59 programs with over 1,300 residents attending, Tifft said.

The program is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

“We’ve also extended the run-time for a half hour to give more people a chance to have their questions answered,” Tifft said.

For more information, call Tifft at 824-2053.

mdaigle@sunjournal.com