alzheimer’s
When a staff member asks residents about everyday activities, such as how much time they may have spent dusting in their lifetimes, one woman jokingly responds, “I don’t want to think about it!” Just past the common area, two women walk down the hallway, holding each other’s hands.
These routines are common to many who live in a long-term care center. But residents in special care units, such as those in the Village in Sioux Falls, S.D., have something more in common: They all are living with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia.
Among the fastest-growing and most debilitating diseases in the United States, Alzheimer’s affects an estimated 5.4 million Americans. One in eight seniors has Alzheimer’s, making it the most common form of dementia. The disease is the sixth- leading cause of death among all ages in the United States. For seniors 65 and older, it’s the fifth-leading cause of death. And with no known cause,
cure or prevention, Alzheimer’s has the potential for being one of the greatest challenges faced by The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society and other providers of long-term care.
By 2050, it’s projected that as many as 16 million Americans will have the disease, due in part to the aging baby boomer population. That means that as the nation’s largest not-for-profit provider of senior care and services, the Good Samaritan Society must
Coping with
Staff members at Good Samaritan Society – Albion in Albion, Neb., were given an educational in-service to experience a virtual tour of dementia. This powerful training tool gave them the opportunity to walk in residents’ shoes, attempting to simulate a few of the physical problems that are common in aging. Most of all, an attempt was made to simulate dementia, where one of the most common problems faced is loss of short- term memory.
take strategic steps as it considers the best way to meet the demands of dementia care.
“I think we need to be realistic with the projected numbers,” says Michelle Kutner, a specialty service consultant for the Good Samaritan Society. “We as an organization need to make sure we’re prepared to serve more people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. The responsibility lies with us.”
As residents finish breakfast at Good Samaritan Society – Sioux Falls Village, Karen Moore starts off the morning with group activities.
About the disease Dr. Karen Garnaas, a neurologist at Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health
6 The Good Samaritan • 2011 • Vol. 45 • No. 2
daily basis and will require constant supervision.
Dr. Garnaas says diagnosing Alzheimer’s is challenging. The patient doesn’t always perceive a problem, and there is no simple blood test that will confirm a person has the disease. So to make a clinical diagnosis, Dr. Garnaas speaks with patients and people close to them to get an understanding of their lifestyle and overall health, and then performs a series of tests to assess memory, cognition and functioning of the nervous system. Magnetic Resonance Imaging also is used to rule out other possible causes of cognitive decline.
“It’s a pretty accurate assessment,” she says. “Since other conditions cause dementia, it’s important to get on the right treatment plan.”
Center in Sioux Falls, says age is the biggest risk factor for developing the disease.
When a person has Alzheimer’s disease, abnormal proteins build up and damage cells in areas of the brain that involve memory. Over the course of the disease, more areas are affected to a greater degree, and the brain shrinks. (See illustration on pages 4-5.) Eventually, a person with Alzheimer’s loses the ability to function on a
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24