CityView Magazine

Local ALZHEIMER'S Resources Home Instead Senior Care of Fayetteville provided the following resources for caregivers: Alzheimer���s Support Group for family caregivers; contact Sam Hutchison from CFVHS, 910-615-1633 Home Instead Senior Care, 2911 Breezewood Avenue, Suite 101, Fayetteville, NC 28303 Websites: www.helpforalzheimersfamilies.com www.caregiverstress.com www.homeinstead.com/647 www.alznc.org www.alz.org Books: Stages of Senior Care: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Making the Best Decisions by Paul and Lori Hogan A Dignified Life: The Best Friends approach to Alzheimer���s Care, A Guide for Family Caregivers by David Troxel and Virginia Bell Facilities with designated Alzheimer���s units: Bethesda Health Care 910.323.3223 Carillon Assisted Living 910.764.2020 Carolina Inn Assisted Living 910.829.0100 Eastover Gardens Special Care 910.822.5552 Fayetteville Manor910.488.4821 Cumberland Nursing & Rehabilitation 910.424.9417 NC State Veterans Nursing Home 910.482.4131 Stay connected by liking cityView on Facebook Up to date information on events and Seen at the Scene photos posted daily! www.facebook.com/cityviewnc 30 | January/February ��� 2013 According to Cail, it���s a stark reality for loved ones to accept, but the signals are there and the pre-clinical stage often begins 10 to 20 years before the disease is diagnosed. As a person with dementia, or as a caregiver, a person���s world grows exponentially in terms of concerns, responsibilities and changes, Cail said. She explained that it���s during these times that the patients��� and caregivers��� worlds also shrink exponentially in terms of outside relationships. ���Support groups allow those affected to connect with others who share the same hard times,��� Cail said. ���We also need the people who share our lives ��� our church, our co-workers ��� we need to have our social network there for us.��� The book is divided into three sections. The first is a guide with how-to tips for caregivers. The second part includes chapters on relationship strategies. The third section features stories from the lives of some of Cail���s patients. Using these strategies from her book, many patients in the early stages of these diseases and their caregivers have felt some hope and are better able to cope with the various stages. They also take great comfort in knowing what to expect next. The book is aimed at those who want to know how to be supportive throughout the slow demise that usually accompanies Alzheimer���s and dementia and is the first of several Cail plans to write in a series. When Cail speaks about the book she often shares strategies, includes a skit that illustrates the patient and caregiver relationship and talks about how friendships can change once Alzheimer���s is diagnosed. She says the disease alters the lives of everyone close to the patient. For example, she recommends that anyone helping a friend in the early stages of Alzheimer���s or dementia not ask about the recent past, as the most recent memories are stored in the hippocampus area of the brain, one of the regions first affected by the diseases. ���If you have not been diagnosed with dementia, then you don���t know how terrifying and heartbreaking that it is,��� she said. CV

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