IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: CAROL STEINBERG
August 1, 2003 AFA Vice President- Development and Public Relations
SARAH EVERS Sunrise VP Communications

NEW YORK, NY—The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) and Sunrise Senior Living, Inc. have formed a collaborative relationship to enhance the quality of life for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, and their families.

A major component of the one-year pilot relationship will be the establishment of AFA resource and referral centers within select Sunrise senior living communities in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Staff members working in the more than 40 participating communities will be trained by AFA and dispense AFA-sponsored information about dementia and community resources to the public.

On Long Island, Sunrise of Dix Hills, Sunrise of East Meadow, Sunrise of East Setauket, Sunrise of Glen Cove, Sunrise of Holbrook, Sunrise of North Lynbrook, Sunrise of Plainview, Sunrise of Smithtown, and Sunrise of West Babylon will be offering services under this program.

Callers to AFA’s toll-free hotline (866-232-8484) and visitors to its website (www.alzfdn.org) will be referred to Sunrise Senior Living, in addition to AFA’s other member organizations across the country.

As part of the collaboration, Sunrise Senior Living communities participating in the pilot will also host AFA educational conferences and workshops for the public, provide support groups for caregivers, and facilitate fee-based respite services on an as-available basis so that family members can get time off from the enormous demands of caregiving while knowing that their loved ones are in safe hands.

“This cooperative effort will enormously benefit the growing dementia community, providing them with greater access to information and innovation,” said Eric J. Hall, AFA’s CEO. “Sunrise’s passion for quality of care is synergistic with our goals. We are delighted that this outstanding organization is partnering with us as we move forward.”

Sherill Garvey, senior vice president of Resident Care Services for Sunrise Senior Living, explained, “We are continually seeking ways to enhance the level of care and service provided to Sunrise residents and their family members. Our experience shows that partnering with a variety of national organizations such as the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America and others is one of the best ways to achieve that goal.”

Both officials noted that the availability of resource centers and programs for persons with dementia and their families in local communities is increasing in urgency. It is estimated that 5 million American currently suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, and that the brain disorder will strike as many as 16 million Americans by mid-century.

AFA, which is headquartered in Manhattan, is a nonprofit organization founded in February 2002. Its mission is to advocate for “care in addition to cure” on the national front, and to collaborate on innovative programs that provide optimal care and services to individuals confronting dementia, and to their caregivers and families. AFA’s member organizations from coast-to-coast provide a wide range of educational and social services that improve quality of life.

Sunrise Senior Living (NYSE: SRZ) is the nation’s largest provider of senior living services. The McLean, Va.-based company, which employs more than 30,000 people, has over 360 senior living communities either open or under construction in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada with a combined resident capacity of more than 40,000. Sunrise communities offer a full range of personalized senior living services, from independent living, to assisted living, to care for individuals with Alzheimer’s and other forms of memory loss, and nursing and rehabilitative care. Sunrise’s senior living services are delivered by staff trained to encourage the independence, preserve the dignity, enable freedom of choice and protect the privacy of residents.