Support groups help Alzheimer's caregivers, those with disease

In Kentucky, there are 70,000 people living with Alzheimer's disease, according to Alzheimer's Association of Greater Kentucky and Southern Indiana Community Coordinator Kristen Becht.

There was $685,000,000 in Medicaid costs associated with Alzheimer's in 2016. In the U.S., 15 million people provided an estimated 18.2 billion hours of unpaid care valued at $230 billion in 2016.

Thirty percent were not only caring for their loved one with Alzheimer's, but also children or grandchildren, increasing the stress of caregiving.

For families, caregivers and those with Alzheimer's ? a type of dementia ? having a support group can be a vital part of reaching out for help. The Alzheimer's Association has groups in Allen and Warren counties in southcentral Kentucky.

"We offer support groups across the chapter area," said Becht. "They are there to help caregivers and people with dementia who go through the same experiences. The leaders have been caregivers themselves or are retired health professionals."

Lindsey Sila, a social worker at Cal Turner Rehab and Specialty Care at The Medical Center in Scottsville, helps with that group, which meets from 4 to 5 p.m. the third Thursday of each month in the hospital's Adult Learning Center.

"There might be a guest speaker ? an elder law attorney, a doctor," she said. "Members come to the group to ask questions. It's based on how many in attendance and who's there."

The number of people who attend the Scottsville group varies, Sila said.

"We're in a small town. We've had it where it's just community members because patients' families can usually come to us while they're visiting and talk to us one on one," she said. "We had some where we have nobody in attendance and some where we have five. It's hard because The Medical Center in Bowling Green puts on one, too."

The Alzheimer's Association is constantly adding new support groups, Becht said.

"We have 55 throughout the chapter area," she said. "Some of them provide respite for free. Some of them provide meals. We let them decide what to offer. They are things that are helpful to caregivers."

Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia and is the sixth-leading cause of death, Becht said.

"There's no prevention, cure or treatment," she said.

Alzheimer's affects mental and physical capabilities, Silas said.

"It makes them cognitively impaired," she said. "It varies for each person, so it's different for how much they're affected. Even if they can't remember five minutes ago, we have residents who remember something when they're 5."

Alzheimer's is a unique diagnosis, Silas said.

"Family members going through and learning how to cope with the disease process can feel they're so alone in the Alzheimer's world," she said.

The support groups can be for anyone, Silas said.

"It's for anyone who has dementia, anybody who has a loved one who is going to the doctor to educate themselves, anybody who is just entering, anybody who has been in the world for a long time," she said.

Cal Turner has activities to make dementia patients feel at home.

"We have a piano in the activities room in the facility where they can wheel themselves to the piano and play," Silas said. "It's usually a church song that they probably learned growing up."

They also go on outings.

"We go to the movies a lot during the summer, Jackson's Orchard in the fall, Camp Courageous to go fishing," Silas said. "Churches come to do church services. Schools come in to do activities. We have a memory care room where they have a family-style dinner so they can be a little more independent."

The Alzheimer's Association also has educational programs for caregivers and those with dementia, Becht said. "It helps them stay socialized and engaged," she said.

The Medical Center at Bowling Green's Alzheimer's Support Group meets at 4:30 p.m. the third Thursday of each month at The Medical Center Health and Wellness Center at 1857 Tucker Way.