COURTESY PHOTO

Actress Bern Nadette Stanis, who starred in the 1970s TV show "Good Times," is a presenter at "Mix, Mingle & Master," a forum on caretaking and health care options Nov. 5 at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church.

After seeing her mother struggle with Alzheimer's disease, actress Bern Nadette Stanis will come to Charlotte to educate others on the disease.

“It was devastating to me, and I was falling apart inside because I didn't understand how she would get that (Alzheimer’s) or what that was,” said Stanis, who starred as Thelma Evans in the 1970s TV show “Good Times.” “And back then, there wasn’t a lot of information like there is today. This is why I am so excited to be part of the UnitedHealthcare Mix & Mingle event because it’s doing exactly what I wish had happened for me 20 years ago.”

Stanis, who became the first Black female teenager ever on television, will share her personal experience and caregiving story at the Friendship Missionary Baptist Church on Beatties Ford Road as part of “Mix, Mingle & Master,” a health and wellness forum sponsored by UnitedHealthcare on Nov. 5 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. and 3-5 p.m. Aside from Stanis’ story, the forum will walk attendees into an education program to teach more about Medicare and health care coverage options.

“They (UnitedHealthcare) have decided to help our community, teach our community about health, how to live your best life at 65 and over, how to take care of yourself and what to do to keep things moving in the right direction,” said Stanis, who stars in “The Family Business” on BET+.

Before partnering with UnitedHealthcare, Stanis raised awareness for Alzheimer’s disease on her own for over a decade. She has traveled the country, speaking at various venues about how the disease impacted her and her family. In 2010, Stanis wrote and published a book titled “The Last Night: A Caregiver’s Journey Through Transition and Beyond,” explaining her experience as a caregiver to her mother before her passing.

Telling her story so others’ suffering or witnessing their loved ones suffering from the disease know how to handle Alzheimer’s is her inspiration behind this mission.
“I'm so happy that UnitedHealthcare is doing this now because they are the ones that can spread it out to the world. They're the ones that could help this message get further,” Stanis said. “I'm just a passionate person, but they can really do it and I'm proud of them.”

To attend the event, register by calling 1-866-780-7904.

“I want Charlotte to come and live the good life,” Stanis said. “We need to help our community because our community is more likely to suffer from this disease.”

Comments