Monterey, CA Alzheimer’s Association Fights To Help Growing Number of Those With Alzheimer’s And Dementia

Article by Richard Kuehn

The Alzheimer’s Association threw a fundraising event last week called “A Reason To Hope” to fight a growing problem: the rapidly increasing number of people who either have dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease, or are impacted because a loved one has it. The Monterey Herald reported on March 17 that there is a “statewide dementia crisis on the horizon.” As Family inHome Caregiving is a large supporter of the Alzheimer’s Association, I was aware of this but was glad to see this issue get a major piece in the HealthNews section.The article quoted Dorelee Heisler who has Alzheimer’s and is well aware of it. She puts labels on all of her kitchen cabinets and the drawers of her bathroom vanity and takes care to place household items back in the same location every day. She volunteers at local senior centers and serves on California’s Alzheimer’s disease advisory council. At the luncheon “A Reason To Hope,” they also had a speaker who, like Doralee, not only has Alzheimer’s but has the courage to talk about it and try to raise funds to support research to find a cure for the disease. Don Swiers took the stage with his wife Alma by his side, and they both had the courage to speak out about the day to day issues, and how they have had to grapple with the disease as symptoms continue to get worse. My father had Alzheimer’s disease when he passed away and I took care of my grandmother for five years until she died less than two months ago. Nana didn’t develop Alzheimer’s until she was about 90 years old, and it was not until after her death that I realized that she was partially aware of its onset, although she didn’t know the disease had a name. When speaking with me, she would always pretend like she was fully aware of what was going on, saying she remembered things when she clearly did not and getting irritated and making sure you knew she didn’t want you to go there if you quizzed her about something more in depth. In preparing for her funeral, there was a treasure box in her coffin in which you could place pictures, notes, any memorabilia that you wanted to be buried with her. When going through her scrap books and pulling out pictures, I found many had little stories on the back. There would be notes like, “Ask who this is–a good friend I think in Palm Springs” or “Find out more…at dinner somewhere up north?” Like most Alzheimer’s patients, however, she tried to hide the symptoms of the disease. Embarrassed by her forgetfulness, she didn’t want to talk about it. I wish we could have discussed it while she was still alive.That’s why it is so good to see that there are people who are willing to speak out about how the disease is affecting them personally. “I sometimes come unglued and get frustrated,” Ms. Heisler told the reporter. “But I choose to get in a lifeboat and keep paddling.” The Herald article revealed that by 2030, it’s projected that the number of Californians with Alzheimer’s will more than double from 588K currently to 1.2 million. And there is a move on to change the definition of how Alzheimer’s is diagnosed. If successful, it would significantly increase both the base now and the number projected by 2030. State officials this month released an action plan that recommends development of a network of medical care and support services for patients and their families, intensified training in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease for health care professionals, expanding medical research into the disease and breaking down the social stigma associated with dementia. Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death in California. Current projections are that those who reach age 65 will have a 1 in 8 chance of developing Alzheimer’s and that once they reach the age of 85, the chances jump to 50/50. The action plan acknowledges that there is “a significant, urgent need for a comprehensive plan” to deal with it but acknowledges the current budget crisis and calls for greater use of private-sector strategies to cover costs. To find out more about how you can help, please visit the Alzheimer’s Association of Northern California’s web site http://www.alznorcal.org. This non-profit organization is doing important work, providing a 24-hour hotline to help those caring for an individual with the disease as well as being the largest private sector organization to fund research to find a cure. http://www.montereyherald.com/health/ci_17633674?nclick_check=1

About the Author

After more than a decade of caregiving, both in a professional environment and for a 97 year old family member Richard Kuehn was dissatisfied with service from local caregiving agencies. He became convinced of the need for a service which provides very personal assistance to the elderly and founded Family inHome Caregiving serving the Monterey Peninsula.