Church groups train to help dementia patients at home

SUZANNE MOORE
Features Editor

April 30, 2008 04:00 am

— PLATTSBURGH -- Caring for a loved one who has dementia is a full-time job and more.
"Every little task can be monumental," said Kenna LaPorte, of the Alzheimer's Disease Assistance Center at Plattsburgh State.
That's why the center approached faith-based organizations about pitching in.
"Respite is such a needed thing for family members," she said. "Caregivers get so overwhelmed by the demands put on them. Our goal with this project was to ease care-giving in a variety of ways. We wanted to make their care-giving situation a little bit better and maybe a little bit easier."
HOW MEMORY WORKS
To date, the Alzheimer's Assistance Center has trained the members of three church groups who now provide various services.
"They learned about Alzheimer's disease and working with this population," LaPorte said.
It's important people understand that, while Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia (about 52 percent of diagnosed cases), others exist as well, with their own pattern of decline.
The volunteers learned how memory works, about how to communicate with someone with dementia.
"They learned to talk about the past with the person, because short-term memory is impacted."
And they learned about activities that are appropriate for a person whose memory function is failing.
In the course of the training, members of Mooers United Methodist Church's Youth Group Cafe helped with a caregivers' retreat put on by the Alzheimer's Disease Assistance Center.
"They had such a good time," LaPorte said.
MEALS, VISITORS
That group has developed its own program -- members will deliver a meal to a person with dementia and his or her caregivers the third Sunday of the month. A member will stay and visit upon request. To have a meal delivered, call Lisa Delong at 236-5501 or e-mail youthgroupcafe@yahoo.com.
Volunteers at Cadyville Wesleyan Church will stay with a person with Alzheimer's on Sunday mornings so their caregiver can attend services. The program is open to all denominations but only during the hours of the Wesleyan Church service. Call 293-7149 for information.
St. Augustine's Catholic Church in Peru at present is just serving those within its own parish, sending a volunteer to a home to give the caregiver a break to run errands or just to get out of the house for a bit. Call 643-2435.
Another program that offers assistance is the Methodist Menders, made up of members of the United Methodist churches in Mooers, Champlain and Chazy. That group, which did not undergo the training, does small home-repair projects with a focus on the elderly. Call 298-8655.
REACH OUT
All the programs operate independently of the Alzheimer's Center, said LaPorte, which just invites groups to participate and provides the training.
She went the faith-based route first since she knew churches often have organized groups.
"But we're glad to do any trainings to groups that would like to reach out to memory-impaired individuals in the community. They don't have to be faith-based."
She is excited about the new offerings, which can help people remain living in their homes and, of course, ease some of the burden of loved ones.
LaPorte urges caregivers who feel stressed out or overwhelmed to take a break, to take advantage of programs that are available to give them respite.
The National Institute on Aging, she said, says research has found caregivers are more prone to depression and illness because of the heavy responsibility they shoulder.
"They need to rely on family, friends, community," she said.
Often, she added, people hesitate to do so.
"It really shouldn't be that way."
For information about starting a volunteer program, reach LaPorte at 564-3377.
smoore@pressrepublican.com

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