Alzheimer's walk to make debut in Celina

CELINA - Local nursing home employees are bringing an Alzheimer's disease walk to the Grand Lake area to raise both awareness and research funds.

The Grand Lake Alzheimer's Walk will be held Aug. 20 and is a part of the Alzheimer's Association walks. Previously, locals had to journey to Greenville or Lima to participate in such an event.

Most committee members for the inaugural walk are employees of HCF Management Inc., the parent company of Briarwood Village and Celina Manor. HCF is a corporate-level sponsor, but the committee members said they wanted to start the walk for their own reasons.

"Collectively, we're in the business for a reason and that's to help people," Celina Manor Administrator Brady Etzler said.

Most committee members have personal reasons to be involved. With the number of people affected by the disease rising both locally and nationally, they felt a walk would help raise awareness in the area. As the aging population expands, so is the disease's reach.

"There's a population shift nationally that we really haven't seen before," Etzler said. "People are living longer. With that, the likeliness of getting the disease increases."

Alzheimer's is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior, according to the Alzheimer's Association. Commitee member Yvonne Miller explained the changes in behavior can often be difficult to understand.

"I just think in general, we need to get an awareness out into the community of what this disease does. We have several family members who feel like they can't take their loved one to Walmart or out to eat, because some of the things they do are not appropriate, and if the community doesn't understand why these people do the things they do, they get very upset," she said. "They're not bad people. They're wonderful people with a wonderful background. Most of them have raised families, had great jobs, but due to the disease and the brain being damaged, they aren't the same anymore."

The fight against Alzheimer's is underfunded, committee members said.

"The awareness wasn't always there," Miller said. "Until Ronald Reagan got the disease, it really wasn't well-known. They called it everything but, like hardening of the arteries, those kinds of things."

Alzheimer's has no cure or treatment.

"There are medications that can manage the symptoms, but they can't cure the disease," Etzler said.

"With cancer, you have survivors," committee member Brenda Hoying said. "There are no Alzheimer survivors. They die from it."

Miller and Hoying also are facilitators for the Mercer County Alzheimer's Support Group, which provides education and support for those dealing with the disease and their family members. The group meets the second Tuesday of each month at 2 p.m. at Celina Manor. Miller and Hoying also will host a free presentation July 27 at St. Charles Center in Carthagena.

Doctors have limited time with patients and because they don't provide treatment, they sometimes leave families with questions, Miller said. Community marketing coordinator Janel Schulte said she wished she and her family had been better informed when her grandmother was diagnosed.

"Once it's explained to you, it's like a lightbulb goes off," Schulte said.

She explained something such as clock testing is particularly helpful. Clock testing determines what age the patient is at functionally. It helps family members better understand which behaviors to expect and what a diagnosed person should be allowed to do. For example, if the patient is functionally age 10, it makes it easier to decide whether or not he or she should be driving or cooking, etc.

Learning to deal with the behaviors associated with the disease is key, Hoying said.

"A psychiatrist said, if all they did was forget, that would be easy because you could just remind them. But it's those behaviors that nobody talks about. They don't talk about the incontinence, the cussing, the things they never did that, all of a sudden, you have a whole new person. That's what's hard for people to understand and deal with," she said.

She explained that some sufferers are pleasant while others are significantly less so - it's the luck of the draw.

Dealing with the behaviors brought on by the disease can be difficult for caregivers as they watch their loved one change dramatically. Hoying, whose mother suffers from the disease, said she remembers her mother as the capable woman who helped neighbors in times of crisis and ran a restaurant.

"My kids remember that part of it but it's getting to the point now where they're kind of forgetting what she did. As a family member, I remember what she used to be like. But as caregivers, all you see is all you've got. You forget that she was a functioning member of society," she said. "You forget how competent they used to be because you can't rely on them to do anything anymore."

Sometimes guilt is associated with placing affected loved ones in nursing homes, but seeking help is crucial.

"Sometimes caregivers die from the stress. ... We see that quite a bit. The caregiver goes before the patient," Miller said.

"This generation, they said ''til death do us part, in sickness and in health,' and they meant that," Hoying said. "It's tough. They fight 'til the very end."

Despite the many grim moments the disease brings, the committee said it's important to see the bright spots.

"There are so many down moments in this disease," Hoying said. "So, we try to lighten it. Funny stuff will happen and if you don't laugh, you'll cry. You don't laugh at them, but you laugh with them and that's so therapeutic."

The 2016 Grand Lake Alzheimer's Walk will be Aug. 20 at Lake Shore Park in Celina. Those interested in walking, donating or volunteering can visit act.alz.org/GrandLake2016 for more information. The event will feature a band, DJ and other entertainment, as well as chicken dinners for sale to help raise more funds. A kickoff party will be held from 3-7 p.m. Tuesday at Celina Manor.

For more information on the Mercer County Alzheimer's Support Group, call Celina Manor at 419-586-6645.

Signs of Alzheimer's:

June is Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month. Alzheimer's disease causes memory, thinking and behavior problems. It typically affects those over 65 years of age but can also affect those in their 40s and 50s. The following are warning signs of the disease,

• memory changes that disrupt daily life

• challenges in planning or solving problems

• difficulty completing familiar tasks

• confusion involving time or place

• trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships

• new problems with words in speaking or writing

• misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps

• decreased or poor judgment

• withdrawal from work or social activities

• changes in mood and personality