Care Partners has been offering a series of classes about dementia in the county, with more courses to come. This group above is part of Dementia Friends, they have been learning about this debilitating disease(s) and what to do to help those afflicted with dementia. From L-R: Polly Erickson, Kim Nelson, Yafa Napadensky, Rebecca Wiinanen, Bob Shannon, Kay Grindland, Annette McEnelly, Sharlene Le Tourneau (front), Evelyn and Duncan McDonald, Nancy and Marland Hanson.
November is Alzheimer’s Disease and Caregiver Awareness Month. This last Wednesday Care Partners offered an hour-long Dementia Friends information session at Birch Grove in Tofte. It’s one of several such sessions that Care Partners plans to offer throughout the county. Dementia Friends is part of a global campaign to tackle the stigma and lack of understanding around this disabling disease.
Alzheimer’s is one of the leading forms of dementia. It is having a considerable impact both globally and locally. Approximately 91,000 Minnesotans age 65-plus are now living with Alzheimer’s. Countless more have been affected by the disease, as they’ve witnessed the challenges and losses faced by their grandparents, parents, spouses, friends, and neighbors. People with dementia and their caregivers can become isolated if those of us around them don’t understand what they are going through. We hope to reduce that isolation and help people with dementia feel welcomed and supported in their community.
One of the critical messages in the Dementia Friends class is that dementia is caused by diseases of the brain. It is not a normal part of aging. As we grow older, it is common for us to forget a name or where we put something and remember it later. We might need help with our phone or become more easily stressed in new situations.
For someone with Alzheimer’s, however, the changes in memory begin to disrupt their daily life. For example, they might not just forget where they parked the car; they might forget that they drove to the store. Although memory loss is often one of the first signs of dementia, especially Alzheimer’s, it’s much more than that. Dementia can affect the way people think, speak and do things. Dementia makes it harder to plan and learn new activities and interferes with structured tasks like writing. It can also make it harder to communicate.
While frustrations and challenges of living with dementia can be huge, there is much that can be done to help. Every year we understand more about dementia and develop new strategies that can help to boost someone’s confidence and maintain their independence for as long as possible.
As friends, neighbors, and family, the challenges of being with someone who has dementia are some of the basic lessons of life. Slow down. Acknowledge your fear and frustration and let it go. Be in the present. Honor your sadness. See the person—not the disease or the struggle. Connect from the heart—words and facts are not as important. Enjoy the simple things. Remember that none of us can do it alone.
Dementia Friends is only one way people are organizing to respond to the growing challenges of this disease. Kay Grindland, director of Care Partners, recently attended a statewide conference of Dementia Friendly communities.
“It was heartening to see how people are working together to address the challenges,” said Grindland. “There are people all over the world organizing youth movements, awareness efforts, and human rights campaigns around dementia. Around Minnesota, they are setting up Memory Cafés, dementia friendly work training, memory kits at libraries and Dementia Friendly choruses.”
Contact Care Partners at 387- 3788 to learn more, or arrange a Dementia Friends session with your group. You can also visit the Act on Alzheimer’s website at www.actonalz.org for more information.
This is the first of three articles in recognition of Alzheimer’s Disease and Caregiver Awareness Month.
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