AREA CONFRONTS ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE

Cecilia Duley has watched her father change from a vital, active man to someone who rarely recognizes his family.

Duley's 73-year-old father has Alzheimer's disease.

"It's not very pleasant," she said. "You go through a lot of hurt and depression. I'm 45 years old. I want him to know who I am.

"I still have trouble understanding why a man as neat as my father had to have something this horrid happen to him," she said.

Duley is not alone. An increasing number of people are exhibiting signs of the disease and those afflicted are living longer.

In response, the Missouri Veterans Home and the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau both have established special units for Alzheimer's patients.

At the Veterans Home, the unit includes 50 beds and has special security measures to help keep patients from wandering off, a frequent occurrence with Alzheimer's patients. The staff is specially trained.

At the Lutheran Home, a wing of the facility is set aside for Alzheimer's patients. It also includes security measures.

Both facilities offer support groups for family members of Alzheimer's patients. The group at the Veterans Home is open to the public and meets the second Wednesday of each month at 1 p.m.

Duley, who is an active member of the Veterans Home group, said the support group provides information about the disease and strength to help her endure keep going.

"I know it's not going to help him, but it helps me," she said. "It helps me understand what he's going to go through next.

"And just knowing some of the things that other people go through helps you to be able to deal with the hurt feelings and the frustration.

"The support group helps so much," she said. "Just the love and compassion you have with the other women. There are feelings you can share with them, and they understand."

Some members of the support group have family members in long-term care, while others care for their family members at home. Dumey's father is a resident at the Veterans Home.

"We really started noticing a change in him in 1984," she said. "He got lost from coming home from a relative's house. He began forgetting things. It started out real slow."

But his condition soon deteriorated. Dumey said her father now has good days and bad days.

"He does have flashbacks. Sometimes I'll walk in and he knows me. Other times he doesn't," she said.

Her father can no longer express himself, Dumey said. But she believes he understands what is said to him.

"He's not just a shell of a person," she added. "It's a real person in there and they deserve all the compassion and love they can get."

Lori Hayden, clinical social worker, at the Missouri Veterans Home, said Alzheimer's disease is not like other diseases associated with aging.

"It's a very hard disease to deal with," said Hayden. "You're basically having a person you always loved change completely. So much change is hard for someone to deal with. And it's not only wives, but kids and grandkids that are affected.

"One of the biggest things with Alzheimer's is the length of time," Hayden said. "It is a long-term illness."

Sufferers usually go through three stages, she said.

"The early stages include forgetfulness and short-term memory loss," she explained. "They might lose their keys or forget their phone number or have trouble finding the right word."

As the first stage continues, patients have trouble concentrating and might become depressed or angry because of the memory lapses.

The middle stage is characterized by confusion and disorientation.

"They have a blatant loss of short-term memory and lose the ability to care from themselves. They can't follow directions," Hayden said. "They can no longer deny that they have a problem. The legal and financial and caregiving problems are a lot harder to deal with."

In the last stage, Hayden said, people have no short-term memory and only limited long-term memory.

"They don't recognize people. They need help caring for themselves. They become a totally impaired person," she said.

Patients eventually die from the disease or subsequent complications attributed to the condition.

Hayden said the disease can only be truly diagnosed through a brain autopsy after death.

"That is hard to deal with," Hayden said. "People think maybe it's not Alzheimer's. Maybe it's something else."

Marjorie Fichter, head nurse at the Lutheran Home's Alzheimer's unit, said one of the primary concerns with Alzheimer's patients is "wandering."

"They wander off and forget where they are," Fichter said. "Sometimes they remember their names. Other times they can't."

The Lutheran Home unit provides a secure environment for residents.

"It's a small unit and they have become comfortable," she said. "Sometimes they go out in the other part of the building, but a lot of times they don't know where they are and get lost.

"If they come out where there is a lot of people and noise and confusion, they want to go back."

Fichter believes attending support group meetings is beneficial for family members. "It helps to know you are not the only person dealing with this. They can voice their problems and concerns."

Hayden said: "One of the things we try to remember when dealing with patients is that they still are a person. We try to deal with respect and dignity. They can still respond to a touch or laughter.

"Research is always being done. Maybe one of these days, they will get it right."