Nov. 6--LAKE COUNTY November is National Alzheimer's Awareness Month and National Family Caregivers Month. According to the Alzheimer's Association there are more than five million Americans living with the disease and as many as 10 million family caregivers.
Alzheimer's disease is a disorder of the brain that causes damage to brain tissue over a period of time. Alzheimer's accounts for more than half of all organically caused memory loss and is the fourth leading cause of death in the aged following heart disease, cancer and stroke. The disease can linger from two to 25 years before death results.
In Lake County, adult day services and respite care are provided for those living with Alzheimer's disease and other cognitive impairments at locations in Clearlake and Lucerne. Adult Day Care/Respite Program of Clearlake operates under the supervision of Director Eva Johnson while Northlake Adult Day Center in Lucerne is led by Caroline Denny.
"The purpose of adult day care is to prevent long-term placement," Johnson said. Denny added, "A caregiver living with somebody with Alzheimer's can get exhausted. If they can get a break, that helps."
Together, the sites provide three days of care each week. "The reason we have programs in two places is because of the distance around the lake that people have to travel. Having two sites makes our programs more accessible," Johnson said. "Some participants enjoy the programs so much that they attend all three
days."
Johnson said there has been a shift in those typically caring for an elderly dependent. "Caring for a dependent father or mother is very difficult. It used to be the task fell more upon the spouses. Now with all the Baby Boomers, it's falling on the children," Johnson said. "We need to get the message out that they need to get help sooner because programs like Adult Day Care prevents premature placement in nursing homes, which is going to cost the government a lot more money in the long run."
Johnson and Denny said respite for the caregiver is just as important as treating those inflicted with the disease. "We need people to understand that care giving is hard and sometimes you need help and we're here to help," Denny said.
Caregiver support groups are offered through both programs. "That's where I learned everything," Johnson said.
"So many people are embarrassed by the word Alzheimer's. It's a disease and we don't need to be," Denny said. "We need to acknowledge it and get treatment and support."
Alzheimer's causes a global loss of intellectual abilities, which is severe enough to interfere with daily functioning. The Alzheimer's Association has identified 10 warning signs of the disease: memory loss that disrupts daily life; challenges in planning or solving problems; difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work or at leisure; confusion with time and place; trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships; new problems with works in speaking or writing; misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps; decreased or poor judgment; withdrawal from work or social activities; and changes in mood and personality.
The primary referral agency for the respite programs in Lake County is Redwood Coast Regional Center, which Johnson said has lost significant funding. The Lucerne program is grateful to have Don Hendricks and his fellow Lakeport Kiwanis members who have served as "angels" to the program since 2002. The Kiwanis members host a bake sale at the Alpine Senior Center in Lucerne on the first Saturday of every month. Denny said the program receives about $150 to $250 every month from bake sale proceeds. "It's the consistency that makes the difference," she said.
The Adult Day Care/Respite of Clearlake, located at St. John's Lutheran Church on Memory Lane offers programs from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Northlake Adult Day Center, located at the First Lutheran Church of Lake County, 3863 Country Club Drive in Lucerne, offers respite care from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. every Thursday.
The Clearlake site also provides support groups for the caregivers. "It's so good to attend the support groups so the caregivers can get ideas from other people on how to deal with a person with Alzheimer's," Johnson said.
For more information about programs, support groups, donations or volunteer opportunities in Clearlake, call Eva Johnson at 279-4836 and in Lucerne, call Caroline Denny at 263-9481.
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com.
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