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Doctor credits dementia caregivers

The Jonesboro Sun - 12/3/2016

JONESBORO - Although she said she's always been a patient woman, after helping care for five family members with dementia, Shirley Crawford said she had to learn even more patience.

"It takes patience you didn't know was needed," Crawford said. "If you're not patient, it blows their mind. Try to be calm."

Alzheimer's disease, a form of dementia, affects more than 5 million Americans, and one in three seniors dies with Alzheimer's or another form of dementia, according to the Alzheimer's Association. The organization reports Alzheimer's is the sixth-leading cause of death in Arkansas.

Crawford said her first experience with the disease came 33 years ago when her mother was diagnosed.

"We didn't know," Crawford said. "She was physically in wonderful shape, but we started seeing strange things going on with her."

Crawford said because no one knew much about the disease, it was hard to find answers on how to deal with it.

"It was a brick wall back then," Crawford said. "Doctors knew nothing."

Now, after decades of research, a new study from Dr. Kenneth Langa from the University of Michigan argues that increased education as well as better heart health may have led to dementia prevalence rates dropping from 11.6 percent in 2000 to 8.8 percent in 2012.

However, one Jonesboro doctor disagrees with the results of the study.

"I very much doubt that it would be a linear relationship," Dr. Cristina Rosca, who works at St. Bernards Senior Health Clinic, said. "I've seen people who are highly intelligent, very well-trained, who develop dementia."

Rosca said higher education helps dementia patients compensate for long periods of time with the memory loss brought on by dementia, but it does not keep people from developing the disease.

Rosca said Alzheimer's is more than just memory loss. It also affects "constructional ability," such as putting together a jigsaw puzzle, both literally and figuratively.

"What do you do in the morning when you get dressed? You actually take different pieces of clothing, different colors, different shapes, so that they match," Rosca said. "That's a jigsaw puzzle. We have the capacity to compensate for the actual memory loss by using all those other mechanics that can be less affected in Alzheimer's. This is how people who are highly skilled, highly trained, they actually compensate."

Rosca said taking care of those with Alzheimer's cannot be done by a single person.

"It's not one man's job; it's a teamwork," Rosca said. "And it's not something you solve with a pill."

Rosca said she has found better results with caregivers helping patients improve their skills and doing exercises than with pills alone.

Crawford, who leads a Jonesboro Alzheimer's support group, also said caregivers play a vital role in helping people with dementia.

"Caregivers have to educate themselves," Crawford said. "It is a family thing. The sooner you get involved and you can understand what you're dealing with, the better."

Each day is different with someone suffering from dementia, Crawford said.

"Every day is a learning experience and a different experience," Crawford said. "You never have two days that are the same."

Rosca said while she does not expect dementia to be cured, it can be dealt with like other incurable diseases.

"I do not expect any cure," Rosca said. "However, we talk about high blood pressure. We talk about asthma. All those are conditions that we manage. We don't necessarily cure; we manage. It's the same thing with memory. If we gain the ability to manage memory loss and slow down the evolution of the disease, I would say that this is a big gain."

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