Living with Alzheimer's

By Gail Wood | The Olympian •
One family fights disease with patience, understanding and love
Wayne Donaldson fiddled with the domino in his hand, puzzling over his next move.

What is it?

Alzheimer's disease is a brain disorder named for German physician Alois Alzheimer, who first described it in 1906. It is:

• A progressive and fatal brain disease affecting about 5 million in the United States. It destroys brain cells, causing problems with memory, thinking and behavior. It is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States.

• The most common form of dementia, a general term for the loss of memory and other intellectual abilities. Vascular dementia, another common type of dementia, is caused by reduced blood flow to parts of the brain. In mixed dementia, Alzheimer's and vascular dementia occur together.

• Not curable. Treatment for symptoms, combined with services and support, can make life better for patients and families.

Warning signs

•Memory loss and forgetting recently learned information

•Difficulty performing familiar tasks, such as preparing a meal, making a phone call or playing a game

•Trouble using language effectively

•Disorientation to time and place

•Poor or decreased judgment

•Problems with abstract thinking

•Misplacing things

•Rapid changes in mood or behavior

•Changes in personality

•Loss of initiative

Local resources

To learn more about Alzheimer's and related dementias, go to the Western and Central Washington Alzheimer's Association Web site at www.alzwa.org. Or call 866-ALZ-4199.

Lewis–Mason-Thurston Area Agency on Aging publishes a Senior Resource Directory that has resources for Alzheimer's patients and their loved ones. Go to www.limtaaa.org. Get a paper copy by calling 360-664-3162.

A dozen special care centers for dementia patients exist in South Sound, as well as several adult day care centers that take high-functioning Alzheimer's patients. Seniors age 60 or older who have questions about services for Alzheimer's patients can contact June Moore at 360-664-3162, ext. 133, or via e-mail at mooreje2@dshs.wa.gov.

If an unpaid family member is caring for an Alzheimer's patient, the agency's Family Caregiver Support Program can help the caregiver maintain his or her own mental, physical and emotional health. Contact John Rodgers at 360-664-3162, ext. 106, or via e-mail at rodgejh@dshs.wa.gov.

South Sound Alzheimer's Council provides support, education and advocacy for patients, their families and caregivers. It meets at 3:30 p.m. the third Wednesday of every month at the Olympia Center, 222 Columbia St. N.W., Olympia. The council's annual fundraising walk is at 10 a.m. Sept. 20 at Marathon Park on Capitol Lake. Go to www.southsoundalzheimerscouncil.org or write to PMB 159, 3430 Pacific Ave. S.E., No. A-6, Olympia, WA 98506.

Eventually, he needed prompting, reminders on the rules of a children's game. Julie, Wayne's wife, grew increasingly frustrated....read the whole story
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