CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - More than 5 million people in America live with Alzheimer's disease. The COVID-19 pandemic presents unique challenges to people caring for Alzheimer's Patients.
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The Alzheimer's Association is offering programs to families to help people caring for those patients. KCRG TV9's Jay Greene details how that can help.
Jay: We are now joined by Kara Fishburn who is an Alzheimer's Association Program Manager in Cedar Rapids and Teri Skoog who has personal and professional experience when it comes to Alzheimer's. Kara, let's talk about someone of the main services you offer here in Cedar Rapids.
Kara: The Alzheimer's Association has really been great about making sure that we haven't missed a beat with COVID-19, so while we offered a lot of these in-person programs, we are just switched to virtual programs and made sure that we still have resources available to the caregivers, so we have moved to a virtual format, both conference calls and zoom meetings like this for caregivers for COVID-19 and we are also still continuing to offer those education programs. So, the really cool thing about that Jay is across the state we have programs from the western side to the eastern side and previously caregivers only had, I mean if they couldn't get to an in-person program at 6:30 on a Tuesday night, that might have been the only option that they had to attend. But because we've gon virtual, it gives folks a lot better chance to get to a program that meets their schedule, it's great. We haven't missed a beat and if people are looking for resources, they can go to alzconnection.org/Iowa.
Jay; What tips do you have that could make things easier for families?
Teri: Some of the things we're doing or families are doing, of course, there are those window visits. We're introducing the high tech ability to communicate to the senior community in our community with facetiming, with skype meetings, they're doing large zoom. We have several family members right now that have arranged for Zoom family Mother's Day gatherings and so I think part of it is just maintaining that connection. We're trying to keep them involved, it's important to realize that they still care partners for us. And so still allowing them to have those connections with communication about how their loved one is doing.
Kara: And for those that have a loved one at home still that presents some unique challenges as well. So, for somebody that has a loved one at home living with Alzheimer's or dementia, keeping a routine is something that's important because, for somebody with Alzheimer's or dementia, they want to know what to expect basically. So, keeping a routine through COVID-19 and making sure that the caregiver is still seeking ways to get help, because obviously Alzheimer's is an isolating disease anyway and then, in the current times even more isolating because we're all stuck at home. So just knowing that we're here and are available. And they can call our 1-800 number or us individually for help or long into our programs as well is really important. Our 800 number just so you have it is 1-800-272-3900.
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May 08, 2020 at 05:20AM
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Alzheimer's Association offering programs to help families caring for patients - KCRG
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