Know that help is a phone call away

Nearly 70 percent of U.S. residents live in the mere 3 percent of our country defined as “urban.” That leaves 88 million people spread across the remaining 97 percent considered “rural America” — areas of the country with 2,500 or fewer people.

While living in rural America certainly has its appeals, access to healthcare is not among them. There are 58 percent fewer general practice physicians and 89 percent fewer specialists per capita in rural communities. And, for older Americans who are more susceptible to developing Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, the segment of the population age 65 and older reaches 50 percent in rural areas.

“There clearly is a challenge in meeting the day-to-day healthcare needs of people across rural America,” said Amelia Schafer, executive director of the Colorado Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. “And for the people we serve, the options for specialized care can be quite limited.”

Ensuring that all families have the opportunity to receive education, advice and counsel related to dementia, the Alzheimer’s Association has developed a comprehensive program of services designed for ease of access for families that cannot visit one of the network of eight offices around Colorado (Boulder, Colorado Springs, Denver, Durango, Fort Collins Grand Junction, Greeley and Pueblo), or whose caregiving responsibilities keep them close to home.

“We understand that caregivers can be ‘on call’ with their loved ones up to 24 hours a day,” said

Schafer. “Often it’s not convenient to leave the home to attend a class or consult with one of our staff members. For that reason, we have created a full range of services that can be accessed by computer or telephone from the privacy of your home.”

The Alzheimer’s Association has a broad menu of remote-access services available at www.alz.org/co. Those include:

Support groups: Through ALZConnected®, you can join a free online community open to anyone affected by Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia. The community includes people living with the disease, caregivers, family members, friends and individuals who have lost someone to dementia.

Participants particularly value the message boards where they can post questions and hear back from a range of individuals who have experience with similar situations.

Online classes: While attending Alzheimer’s Association educational classes with others offers opportunities for shared experiences and exchange of ideas, sometimes caregiving schedules don’t allow for it. The Association offers a broad range of free, online classes that participants can take when their schedule permits. Among the class offerings are:

• 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s

• Challenging Conversations about Dementia

• Effective Communication