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Alzheimer’s Disease slowly robs a person of their memories and thinking skills and, eventually, their ability to function. The Alzheimer’s Association estimates that almost 7 million Americans are living with the disease, a number projected to reach 13.8 million by 2060. Over 11 million Americans currently provide unpaid care for someone with Alzheimer’s disease, with limited options for assistance.
On Jan. 30, the Mary Velasco Sellen Senior Center in San Juan Bautista will hold its first major conference, “A Conversation on Alzheimer’s Care,” from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., presented by Geiger and Health Projects Center Family Consultant Christina Andrade. The event will offer seniors and their families insights into risk factors and warning signs. It will also provide family caregivers with resources and details on upcoming support groups.
“Part of what we’re doing,” said Alzheimer’s Association Regional Director Philip M. Geiger, “is trying to do more outreach into the community. We’ve successfully established relationships and provided programs and services in Hollister but haven’t had a partner in San Juan.”
Geiger said that he and Andrade will discuss Alzheimer’s and dementia broadly and then work to connect people who need help with available resources, which he said is their biggest challenge.
“I gave a short version of this presentation at one of the Senior Center lunches,” he said. “I can see the impact they have already had. So, being able to bring our resources to the community in this way is a blessing.”
Mary Edge, principal officer of the senior center, said that she has known several people who are in the first and middle stages of Alzheimer’s and has learned that caring for those with the disease has to be approached in an informed way.
“The more education people have with this disease,” she said, “the better they will be able to cope if it affects their loved ones, who will no longer be the person that they used to be. They will need to know what to do and how to advocate.”
Geiger said that Alzheimer’s accounts for up to 80% of reported cases of dementia, which is an umbrella term for conditions anything that would prevent a person from living their routine life, like mental challenges, memory loss, hallucinations and cognitive impairment.
Signs of the disease’s onset include memory changes that disrupt daily life, like relying on notes to undertake routine matters or increasing short-term memory loss of recently learned information. Having a hard time driving to familiar locations or forgetting the rules of a favorite game are also signs, as is confusion over times and places.
Until recently, he said, there have been no effective medications for the disease and treatment was limited to easing symptoms like agitation, depression or anger with drugs that could help a person deal with those feelings.
However, Geiger said that more recent tests have been better able to identify the onset of Alzheimer’s, and there is now medication that can slow the progress of the disease by treating the underlying causes.
“We say it in a soft whisper,” he said, “We’re entering an age of treatment that we’ve never seen before. Given in the early stage of Alzheimer’s—and it has to be early—it removes the plaque that builds up in the brain, though it does not repair any damage.”
Geiger said that these breakthroughs, as well as preventative measures, like diet and exercise, adequate sleep and social activity, and resources available to caregivers, would be discussed at the conference.
“Christina Andrade is going to talk about hands-on things people can do,” he said. “We will focus on those caring for people living with the disease. Obviously, the Alzheimer’s Association is one of the local resources.”
Gieger said those who can’t attend the conference can still get assistance through the Del Mar Resource Center during business hours at 800-624-8304. The association also maintains a 24-hour helpline at 800-272-3900.
“A Conversation on Alzheimer’s Care” will be held on Jan. 30 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the San Juan Bautista Community Center, 10 San Juan Street. RSVP to Mary Edge at 831-262-3484.
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