Alzheimer’s Association highlighting stories

The Cleveland chapter of Alzheimer’s Association will highlight stories from Alzheimer’s caregivers.

For the month of November, the Cleveland chapter of Alzheimer’s Association will highlight stories from Alzheimer’s caregivers in part of the National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month and National Caregivers Month.

“It’s so folks don’t feel they’re so all alone,” said Lauri Scharf, support services manager for the Alzheimer’s Association, who also oversees the countless support groups available in the Cleveland area.

The Alzheimer’s Association provides multiple services and groups for those affected by Alzheimer’s and dementia and their caregivers, including early-stage services for both the diagnosed and caregivers and support groups.

The Cleveland chapter has 34 caregiver support groups in the area, with eight groups located in Lorain County.

Scharf said the earlystage services provide an outlet for those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s to speak their grievances, advice and experiences in “the challenges of daily living.”

“They can appreciate talking to each other, to know this is what it means and to get through challenges and come up with ideas on how to maintain (their health) as long as possible,” she said.

Tammy Lacey, 45, of Amherst, became a member of the caregiver support group in Amherst three years ago and her story is being highlighted by the Alzheimer’s Association this month.

Lacey said that even though her family had experienced Alzheimer’s before, her and her father, Walt, had not been expecting the disease to affect her mother, Peggy, who was diagnosed five years ago.

“We never saw it coming for Mom, it was never on our radar for some reason,” she said. “Having lived through it once almost makes it scarier, because you know what’s coming.”

Lacey said she has helped her father to care for her mother two days a week for a few years after she feared the toll her mother’s disease was taking on her father’s health.

“I forced myself in, really,” she said. “I thought, ‘That’s it, I’m not losing you both.’”

Forgetfulness is only the tip of the iceberg regarding Alzheimer’s and other dementia related diseases and often is not the most difficult part of watching the illness affect a loved one, Lacey said.

“It’s an incredibly frustrating disease,” she said. “It’s not even the forgetfulness that gets to you, it’s the repetition and the blank stares.”

Those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s also experience isolation, as friends and family often don’t know how to speak to them due to discomfort and stigmas, Lacey said.

Maintaining routine and patience has been integral to keeping her mother comfortable, she said.

“One thing I will say, is this disease is incredibly difficult on caregivers,” Lacey said.

“What they don’t need to say to them is ‘You don’t know what the future holds.’ You need to give them a hug and tell them you’re there for them.”

An Alzheimer’s Association news release says there are more than 600,000 caregivers providing unpaid care to family members and friends living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias.

In 2017, a total of 684,000,000 hours were spent on unpaid care by these caregivers, valued at $8.6 billion.