Losing a loved one to sickness or old age can be difficult for families, but at least it is understood and family members are somewhat mentally prepared for what is to come as part of the natural progression of life.
But watching a loved one wither away mentally from Alzheimer’s disease or other forms dementia can be even more difficult because the behaviors associated with the illness can be upsetting and misunderstood by families.
A man or woman known for never forgetting a name or face, birthday or engagement will be unable at times to recognize their own kin or understand where there are or what time period it is, and the problem is often compounded by paranoia.
Imagine not recognizing a son or daughter, husband or wife. The sufferer may believe that family members are complete strangers or, worse, intruders that have aim to harm them – and that can be a very frightening experience.
“One of the tragic parts of the disease is that you’re watching your loved one being taken away,” said Alzheimer’s Association and Safe Return Program volunteer Cynthia Tunney of her experiences with her own mother, who suffered from the disease.
Fortunately for the local community, there is help for families that need assistance managing Alzheimer’s disease. The Delaware Valley Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association has a 24-hour help-line and an office located in Georgetown where families can receive free counseling or information about the disease.
As a non-profit organization, the Alzheimer’s Association relies on donations from the public to maintain its presence in the community. And on Sept. 29, the local chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association will hold its 11th annual 5K Memory Walk, beginning at Grove Park in Rehoboth Beach. Last year, they collected $81,000 and topped $97,000 with the addition of in-kind donations by various media groups. This year, they’re hoping to match the effort in order to keep their doors open.
“The money raised a the Memory Walk is vital because it’s the only fundraiser we do in Sussex County,” Tunney said.
Ocean View Police Chief Kenneth McLaughlin and his department, as well as many others in Delaware, were trained by Tunney and attribute more effective police work that training to because now they are equipped to deal with situations regarding Alzheimer’s patients.
“From a business perspective, [a large part of] our demographic are senior citizens,” McLaughlin said. “And since senior citizens are most susceptible to Alzheimer’s, dealing with them has become a reality of policing in Sussex County.”
Alzheimer’s patients can become hostile and even violent if they feel threatened, and the training received by local police departments enables responding police officers to recognize and differentiate sufferers from those under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs and possibly save their lives from life-threatening lethal force.
McLaughlin recalled an occasion where a Wilmington man suffering from Alzheimer’s disease was shot by responding police officers because he was hostile and waving a knife.
Through the Safe Return program, Alzheimer’s patients are quickly identified by their identification jewelry, which is similar to medical alert bracelets worn by diabetics, and are then returned to their families. Wandering is another symptom of Alzheimer’s disease, and many of its sufferers do it because they believe they have someplace to go.
“The brain cells die off and of work in reverse order,” McLaughlin said. “They sort of go back in time.”
McLaughlin’s officer’s have already come into contact with a handful of Alzheimer’s patients over the past couple years and, fortunately, were able to return them their families. He mentioned that it wouldn’t be uncommon for an elderly man or woman afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease to pack a lunch and “walk into Mrs. Jones’ second-grade classroom” because of a mental regression.
“It’s an interesting thing,” McLaughlin said of the memory regression associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
Currently, there isn’t a cure for Alzheimer’s disease but doctors do know what causes it and what measures one can take to prevent it.
“Maintain you’re brain while you’re young,” Tunney pleaded. “Anything that is healthy for your heart is healthy for your brain. So dieting and exercise helps and you can outrun Alzheimer’s [disease] by forming as many brain cells as you can now.”
Those interested in raising money for the Alzheimer’s Association can set up a Web site like 13-year old Kyle Marvel did at www.alz-delawarevalley.org, or they can go about it the old-fashioned way and conduct fundraisers or collect pledges. Check-in for the Memory Walk on Sept. 29 will begin at 8:30 a.m. and the walk itself will begin at 10 a.m.
Among those participating in the walk is the Ocean View Police Department’s Caps and Roses team and District 38 Rep. Gerald Hocker. Anyone interested in making a contribution to Kyle Marvel’s fundraising efforts may use the following link: http://RehobothMW2007.kintera.org/capsandroses.