HOT PURSUIT

Despite the rain Saturday morning, it wasn’t enough to dampen the spirits of family members in Steele County whose loved ones are battling Alzheimer’s, perhaps the greatest mind and memory robbing disease affecting nearly 7 million people in the U.S.

That’s a lot of families left to care for loved ones who often don’t know who they are or who their family members are. Most often they can’t remember anything that they just completed 10 minutes ago, and they ask the same question over and over again.

Sadly, there is no cure for this horrifying disease, which is expected to triple to 14 million by 2060.

One of the troubling things I’ve heard from many people, and I heard it again this weekend at the Walk to End Alzheimer’s in Steele County, is how this country is ill-prepared to handle Alzheimer’s patients. One family shared with me that they put their loved one in a memory care unit only to learn that the workers really didn’t know how to handle the patients.

While covering the walk, I came across Karen Holden of Rochester obviously struggling with the events going on. She lost her husband two years ago. She shared with me how Alzheimer’s is so devastating for caregivers because it’s mentally draining for them. She cared for her husband before his condition pushed her to the brink of having to place him in a memory unit. She said she couldn’t do it any longer as she was next to having a nervous breakdown.

It broke my heart to hear Karen sharing her story with me. I wish she along with all other families of Alzheimer’s families wouldn’t have to experience what they do.

Taking action to address the many detrimental challenges of Alzheimer’s and related dementias is a U.S. federal government priority. The National Alzheimer’s Project Act signed into law back in 2011 calls for a coordinated national plan to accelerate research and improve care and services for people living with Alzheimer’s and related dementias, and their families. One of the top goals is to enhance care quality and efficiency.

I can relate to the struggles that I hear families often sharing with me.

My family has been dealing with an uncle who has suffered from dementia for the past several years. It got to the point where he showed up at a local emergency room by himself with no knowledge of how he got there. He had driven there. It was the last time he drove, and he quickly ended up in a memory care unit.

My heart often aches for what he is going through. This is a man I admired over the years watching him achieve his doctor’s degree and going on to be a professor at a state university. He finished with the highest level of education of anyone in our family. While I’m not sure it really eases the pain any, I guess the only reassurance that I have is that he is in a safe place and cannot physically harm himself or anyone else.

Families of Alzheimer’s and dementia patients need support, and I hope you find it in your heart to go in hot pursuit of providing that support whether it’s financially or just giving them the emotional support they need to get through the tough times. And please remember that memories matter.