Newspaper Page Text
October 3, 1996
10
Local chapter Alzheimer’s Association
provides family-centered support
By Bhanda Jones
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
Alzheimer’s disease can be one of
those things that sneaks up on you.
Unlike cancer or AIDS, which ev
eryone thinks about from time to
time, AD is easy to push aside. “Af
terall,”youthink, “it’sanold person’s
disease, something I won't have to
worry about for a long, long time to
come.”
But, according to Carolyn Bailie,
executive director of the Augusta
chapter Alzheimer’s Association on
Central Avenue, because of its de
bilitating nature, AD is a “two-per
sondisease.”Thecaregiver,shesaid,
is ‘just as much involved as the
person with the disease.”
That’s why the Alzheimer’s Asso
ciation offers daytime respite care
five days a week, thanks to a part
nership with Covenant Presbyte
rian Church.
Ms. Bailiestressesthemany-sided
advantages of using respite care
services. Of course, there is the ob
vious off-time for the caregiver, but
these day centers are not simply
places to drop off the patient. While
she’sthere, Mom will be interacting
with others who have her condition,
participating in crafts and sing
alongs, which “gives the patient a
feeling of self-worth.”
“We want [the patients] to feel
that theyarestill very functional ...”
she said.
In her essay “A Call to Courage
for Caregivers,”Alzheimer’s Disease
author Martha Adams warns that
it isjust asimportant to investigate
possible day-center facilities as it is
to investigate nursing homes. She
alsoempathizes withthecaregiver’s
emotional reaction.
“There is a natural resistance to
investigating and participating in
such a program,” she writes. “Fear
of many things prevents us from
action: quality of care, cost (S2O to
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Claudia Maryland (i), Day Center co-ordinator, and Carolyn
Bailie (1), executive director of the local Alzheimer’s Associa
tion, provide valuable family-oriented support. Photo: C. Jones
s6O per day with a sliding scale
based on income), disturbed behav
ior on the part of our loved one or
otherswhoattend,andadmitting to
ourselves that we can no longer
handle the problem without help.”
But, she writes, the activities of
fered at a quality center make the
experience worthwhile for the pa
tient as well as the caregiver, be
cause the patient will be absorbed
by “a variety of activities and con
versationsfarmorestimulatingthan
those the primary caregiver can
provide at home alone.”
Leonard Heston and June White,
authors of The Vanishing Mind: A
Practical Guide to Alzheimer’s Dis
ease and Other Dementias, have
this to say about day centers:
“Day-care centers place the em
phasis on keeping those attending
active as long as possible. The fam
ily ofthe dementia patient can avail
itself of these facilities daily or only
a few times per week or month (but
bear in mind that the value, to the
patient, of familiar surroundings is
enhanced by regular visits).
“Timing is crucial when you are
planning to enlist the services of a
day-care center. Persons with de
mentia should be introduced to the
Livingßetter
new environment early enough in
the course of the illness to be able to
make the adjustment andbecome
comfortable with the staff and set
ting. If placement is left until the
laterstagesoftheillness, the person
with dementia may not adjust. Be
aware, however, that some persons
intheearly stages oftheillnesshave
difficulty adjusting to the day-care
situation because theyare function
ing at a relatively high level and
become upset upon seeing others
who are more severely impaired.
“A separate room, away from the
group, is desirable where individu
als can be alone with a staff person
should they get upset. Provisions
should be made to curb wandering.
Anactive, stimulatingenvironment
with a low patient-to-staff ratio is
essential. Time spent in a day-care
center will not slow the progression
of Alzheimer’s disease, but it can
provide pleasure for the ill person
and can offer vital respite to the
caregiver.”
About her own staff, Ms. Bailie
says, “We try to be there and try to
helpthefamiliesinasmanywaysas
we can.” She cites seminars, sup
port groups and education on the
disease, as well as day-care facili
ties, as services offered by the
Alzheimer’s Association..
“Our motto is ‘Someone to Stand
By You,” she said.
The following is a list of warning
signs from the pamphlet “Is it
Alzheimer’s?”:
I.Recent memory loss that
affects job skills. It’s normal to
occasionally forget assignments,
colleagues’ names, or a business
associate’s telephone number
and remember them later. Those
with a dementia, such as
Alzheimer’s disease, may forget
things more often, and not re
member them later.
2.Difficulty performing fa
miliar tasks. Busy people can be
so distracted from time to time
thatthey may leave the carrotson
the stove and only remember to
serve them at the end of the meal.
People with Alzheimer’s disease
could prepare a meal and not only
forget to serve it, but also forget
they made it.
3.Problems with language.
Everyone hastrouble finding the
right word sometimes, but a per
son with Alzheimer’s disease
may forget simple words or sub
stitute inappropriate words,
making his or her sentence in
comprehensible.
4.Disorientation of time
and place. It’s normal to forget
the day of the week or your des
tination for a moment. But
people with Alzheimer’s disease
can become lost on their own
street, not knowing where they
are, how they got there or how to
get back home.
5.P00r or decreased judge
ment. People can become so im
mersed in an activity that they
temporarily forget the child
they’re watching. People with
Alzheimer’s disease could forget
entirely the child under their
care. They may also dress inap
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790-4381
#1
3084 Deans Bridge Rd
Across from
Wendy’s
736-1006
#4
2022 Gordon Hwy.
Across from
Bob Richards Chevrolet
propriately, wearing several
shirts or blouses.
6.Problems with abstract
thinking. Balancing a check
book may be disconcerting when
the task is more complicated
than usual. Someone with
Alzheimer’s disease could forget
completely what the numbers
are and what needs to be done
with them.
7.Misplacing things. Anyone
can temporarily misplace a wal
let or keys. A person with
Alzheimer’s disease may put
things in inappropriate places:
an iron in the freezer, a wrist
watch in the sugar bowl.
B.Changes in mood or be
havior. Everyone becomes sad
or moody from time to time.
Someone with Alzheimer’s dis
ease can exhibit rapid mood
swings — from calm to tears to
anger — for no apparent reason.
9.Changes in personality.
People’s personalities ordinarily
change somewhat with age. But
a person with Alzheimer’s dis
ease can change drastically, be
coming extremely confused, sus
picious or fearful.
10. Loss of initiative. It’s nor
mal to tire of housework, business
activities or social obligations, but
most people regain their initia
tive. The person with Alzheimer’s
disease may become very passive
and require cues and prompting
to become involved.
Those who wish to pitch in for
the Alzheimer’s Association may
do so this Saturday at the
Memory Walk at Lake Olmstead.
“Day-of” registration begins at
Lake Olmstead at 8 a.m. Prereg
istration may be done between
now and Friday at the local
Alzheimer’s Assocation head
quarters at 1899 Central Av
enue. The Walk will begin at 9
a.m. Saturday, Oct. 5.
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722-9444
#2
453 Broad St.
Old Town Plaza
Across from Days Inn
737-6060
#5
3217 Wrightsboro Rd.
Across from
Pizza Hut
Study shows
vaccine prevents
widespread virus
that threatens
children ;
NEW ORLEANS
Rotavirus, the most common
cause ofdiarrhea in children,isa
highly contagious disease that
results in the dehydration and
death ofa million children world
wide eachyear. In the U.S., more
than 50,000 children are hospi
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100 die as a consequence of
rotavirus.
Results of a major clinical trial
released for the first time today
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*9l percent of severerotavirus
induced diarrhea in children,
*97 percent of clinic visits'due
to dehydration caused by
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*IOO percent of hospitaliza
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This study, which was con
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timicrobial Agents and Cheémo
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rotavirus in the vaccine group,
compared to 184 in the placebo
group. The overall efficacy rate,
againstall cases of rotavirus, both
moderate and severe, was-68
percent. :
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560-0350
#3
2603 Tobacco Rd.
Windsor Spring Rd.
Across from Video Whse.
863-0060 .
#6
3836 Washington Rd.
In front of
K-Mart Pharmacy "