Category Archives for Mental Health

Agency Offers Hope

Published in Senior Digest on November 2006

According to the Alzheimer’s Association Rhode Island Chapter (AARIC), it is estimated that 25,000 Ocean State residents are afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease. When you combine 100,000 caregivers with that number you have a devastating disorder that touches many people.

Don’t expect the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease to decrease any time soon, warns Liz Morancy, AARIC’s executive director. “Getting older is the biggest risk factor, and we are an aging state in an aging nation,” she says.  “The course of the disease varies from person to person, as does the rate of decline.”

“The costs to society are enormous, too, costing the health care system and business well over $32 billion,” Morancy notes. The federal government and states will be hit hard by the rising costs when they struggle to provide assistance and services to an increasing number of people with Alzheimer’s disease, she predicts.

Not every episode of forgetfulness is the advent of Alzheimer’s disease, Morancy notes, saying that it is common to forget words or information, especially when you have multiple responsibilities; you’re under stress, feeling fatigued or are distracted. She quickly rattles off many of the early symptoms: constant forgetfulness; lack of awareness that you have forgotten something; forgetting recently learned information; and memory loss that interferes with your daily life. One’s ability to use numbers and drastic personality changes can also be associated with this mental disorder.

Caregivers work a “36-hour day” taking care of their afflicted loved ones with Alzheimer’s adds Morancy. “A caregiver in Rhode Island traditionally has been a woman who is the wife, daughter or daughter-in-law of the patient. If she is the daughter, the majority of the time she is also taking care of young children. As the caregiver ages, she must cope with her own physical health problems, too,” Morancy said.

However, today “we have noticed an increasing number of men taking on the caregiver role and responsibility,” Morancy says. “A husband may take care of his wife without the assistance of children who live far away.”

There are only a few “modest drugs” that can slow the effects of Alzheimer’s disease, according to Morancy. She hopes that more effective treatments will become available in the next few years. In order to keep loved ones with Alzheimer’s independent and in their homes for as long as possible, caregivers need the support services from home care and adult day care programs.

For caregivers and their families, the Rhode Island Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association has become a beacon of hope and a valuable resource in surviving the stresses of caregiving, Morancy says.

Established 17 years ago, the organization started off as an all-volunteer agency with a $50,000 budget. Today the nonprofit agency has eight staff members and a budget of $700,000 with hundreds of volunteers working in a variety of capacities, according to Morancy, who has led the chapter for more than 15 years.

With the 14th Annual Memory Walk, sponsored by AARIC last month, public awareness of this devastating disorder was ratcheted up a little higher, Morancy says. The group’s family support and education activities will be bolstered by the $ 250,000 raised by more than 1,300 supporters who walked the three-mile course in Providence and Newport.

“Our Memory Walk is a key funding source for us,” admitted Morancy. “Oftentimes, major private foundations do not recognize the reality of the increasing number of elderly, and they do not fund programs addressing their needs adequately. Sadly, children advocates are pitted against those working on behalf of seniors,” she says.

Morancy says AARIC offers caregiver and family assisted at 18 affiliated support groups that regularly meet throughout the Ocean State. The chapter also provides a help line and care consultation, education and training programs geared to both health care professionals and caregivers.

Additionally caregivers can obtain pamphlets, books, and videos through the chapter and participate in a safe return program that helps to locate persons with Alzheimer’s who wander away from home.  There are few people in Rhode Island whose lives have not been touched by the Alzheimer’s disease, and there are many lives that have been touched through the programs and services of AARIC.

Documentary Explores World of Alzheimer’s Victims, Caregivers

Published in Pawtucket Times on January 26, 2004

Sally Weiss, my 80-year-old mother, has Alzheimer’s disease.

Over the past seven years, the progression of this disease was noticeable to me when I made my trips back home to Dallas, Texas.

However, my family, just like the tens of millions of families across the nation who have loved ones afflicted with this mental disorder, tries to understand and cope with the emotional social and financial impact of this devastating disease.

Last Wednesday, a hard-hitting, nationally broadcast PBS program, “The Forgetting: A Portrait of Alzheimer’s,” sought to bring more “insight, context, hope and help” to viewers who tuned in, hoping to better understand this frightening disorder.

The 90-minute documentary explores Alzheimer’s disease by weaving together the history and biology of the disease, the real-life experiences of three Alzheimer’s patients and their families who lives are touched by Alzheimer’s and the latest research findings that may lead to a cure.

Shame on you if you missed last week’s showing of “The Forgetting,” but you’re in luck, especially if you want a second chance to see the PBS program before it comes out on video. The Rhode Island PBS program affiliate, WSBE 36, has scheduled a rerun of this broadcast for Jan. 29 at 9:00 p.m. and again on Feb. 5 at 2:00 p.m.

The PBS documentary is based on David Shenk’s best-selling book, “The Forgetting.”

After overhearing a conversation in a restaurant about a man and his wife- a woman in her 50s afflicted with Alzheimer’s – he realized that this woman could not recognize her husband. By the time Shenk left the restaurant, he was horrified at the thought of his wife not even knowing who he was, being a stranger to her during the best years of their marriage. This thought ultimately propelled Shenk, a journalist and occasional National Public Radio commentator, to explore the mysteries of Alzheimer’s leading to the writing and publication of his 292-page book.

The PBS documentary warns that with the graying of our nation, we will see a growing number of person’s afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease which is considered  to be an age-related disordered.

By 2011, the first of the nation’s 76 million baby boomers will turn age 65, ultimately setting off a demographic time bomb, creating this Alzheimer’s epidemic.  When this occurs, Alzheimer’s may well become American’s biggest public health concern.

Using special animation, “The Forgetting” helps viewers better understand how Alzheimer’s begins, how it does damage and what kind of new medical treatments are being used to treat it.

“The Forgetting” also focuses on the real-life stories of three families, showing how the disease slowly impacts the family caregivers and the loved ones afflicted with Alzheimer’s.

“Like so many coping with this tragedy, the families who share their stories in  “The Forgetting” all have one major motivation in common – they want to let other people facing similar situations know that they are not alone, that there is help and that they too, can find the strength to face a  tragedy like Alzheimer’s with dignity and grace,” said Elizabeth Arledge, a respected film producer who created the PBS documentary, in a written statement.

“These families are drawing on reservoirs of strength and compassion to stay focused on seeing the person they love instead of the symptoms of the disease,” added Arledge.

Liz Morancy, executive director of the Alzheimer’s Association’s Rhode Island chapter, calls of Rhode Islanders to watch a Rhode Island PBS program. “The 13th State,” on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2004 at 7:30 p.m.

Scheduled one day before the re-airing of “The Forgetting,” the 30-minute local PBS program will feature a panel discussion about Alzheimer’s.

Panelists included Dr. Cynthia Holzer, of Roger Williams Hospital, along with 84-year-old Sterling Ivision, who is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, and his daughter Kate Meleny.

“The Forgetting’ shows what a really hard, hard disease Alzheimer’s is,” said Morancy, “but by listening to Ivision, you will learn that he still drives and lives independently. People who have early-stage Alzheimer’s can still have a quality of life.”

Check out the Web site, www.pbs.org/theforgetting. This site will provide advice, resources, and chances for caregivers of Alzheimer’s victims to share emotions and insights. In addition, a downloadable viewer’s guide will provide practical information and answer questions.

University Study Seeks to Unlock Secrets of Alzheimer’s

Published in Pawtucket Times on December 8, 2003

 Planning bingo, finding that right word for the crossword puzzle you are working on, reading The Times or the latest bestselling book and even dancing might just be the right mental stimulation to help slow down the ravaging advances of Alzheimer’s.

Boston University researcher Nancy Emerson Lombardo, Ph.D., is seeking Rhode Island and Southern Massachusetts research participants to determine if the theory “use it or lose it” is fact or fiction.

“The brain never stops growing, especially in an enriched learning environment,” said Lombardo, who said science has shown the brain can actually replace neurons and grow connections between them.

Lombardo’s current research study is looking to prove that the brain’s ability to adapt, through cognitive training therapies can help persons who are already have Alzheimer’s disease slow down and even regain some of the cognitive losses they are experiencing.

Lombardo said that even with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, over the last decade researchers have found you can still exercise your brain, reap the benefits of improved short-term memory and experience a better quality of live.

These studies suggest keeping the mind active can help explain how some people can delay the onset of memory loss and Alzheimer’s disease symptoms for years.

In one study, research B.P. Sobel found that playing bingo improved short-term memory, Lombardo noted.  In another study, H. Wang reported in the American Journal of Epidemiology that staying active in social and leisure activities is associated with a decreased risk of memory loss, she said.

An Albert Einstein College of Medicine study even reported in a recent issue of the New England Journal of  Medicine that “reading, playing board games, playing musical instruments and dancing were associated with a reduced risk of [memory loss].”

Lombardo, serving as principal investigator at the Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Center, told All About Seniors about the BEST (Brain Enhancement Strengthening Treatment) study.  This study is currently examining whether fun, combined with a challenging set of cognitive exercises, can be performed in a home setting to sharpen up the cognitive abilities of a person diagnosed with early Alzheimer’s.

The BEST study, based on the work of Lynn Lazarnus Seper, Ed.D. – who serves as the co-principal investigator with Lombardo – is working with early-stage Alzheimer’s participant and their care partners over a six-month period.

Serper used many of these same techniques in her successful self-recovery from a major debilitating stroke. She has also experienced successful results in her clinical practice with persons with Alzheimer’s, as well as those with stroke and other brain injuries.

Lombardo’s study is currently seeking early-stage Alzheimer’s participants in Rhode Island and Southern Massachusetts, ages 58 to 85, who will meet over 26 weeks in their own homes with cognitive educator Ann Lewis.  Lewis has received rigorous training from Serper and other researchers on the BEST team.

Eligible participants, who must have at least a two-year college degree, must have a diagnosis of probably Alzheimer’s disease.  Additionally, they  must be taking one of the three medications – Aricept, Exelon or Reminyl.

Finally, they must reside within a 40-minute drive of Newton, or Billerica, Mass. Or Newport, Rhode Island.

Study participants will work on mental exercises aimed at their prior and current interests/hobbies as well as current local and world news.

The format turns theses everyday activities into brain therapy. The cognitive educators will also assist participants in developing strategies for social and conversational situations.