The Work of The Alzheimer's Services Center...and why It's More Important Today Than Ever

By Sylvia Wray Executive Director, Alzheimer's Services Center

Being diagnosed with dementia can be very frightening for those affected by the syndrome, their family members, and caretakers. Unfortunately, there is a stigma associated with this term. Learning more this medical condition, really changed my life. Over the years, I learned that there are various types of dementia. According to the CDC, “Dementia is not a specific disease but is rather a general term for the impaired ability to remember, think, or make decisions that interferes with doing everyday activities. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia. Though dementia mostly affects older adults, it is not a part of normal aging. ” The 2021 Alzheimer’s Disease fact and figures published by the Alzheimer’s Association is that an estimated 6.2 million Americans aged 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s. In Georgia alone, there are approximately 150,000 seniors 65 and older living with Alzheimer’s.

By 2025 this number is estimated to increase to 190,000 an estimated 26.7% change. The number of Americans living with Alzheimer’s is growing and growing fast. Alzheimer’s is not just memory loss, it kills. One in three seniors dies with Alzheimer’s or another type of dementia. It kills more than Breast Cancer and Prostate Cancer combined. In the United States, Alzheimer’s and Dementia Deaths have increased by 16% during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Alzheimer’s Association published these facts on caregiving. Eighty-three percent of the help provided to older adults in the United States comes from family members, friends, or other unpaid caregivers. Nearly half of all caregivers who provide help to older adults do so for someone living with Alzheimer's or another dementia. In 2020, these caregivers provided an estimated 15.3 billion hours of care that is valued at nearly $257 billion. Approximately two-thirds of caregivers are women; more specifically, over one-third of dementia caregivers are daughters. Most caregivers (66%) live with the person with dementia in the community. Approximately one-quarter of dementia caregivers are "sandwich generation" caregivers — meaning that they care not only for an aging parent, but also for children under age 18. Alzheimer's takes a devastating toll on caregivers. Compared with caregivers of people without dementia, twice as many caregivers of those with dementia indicate substantial emotional, financial, and physical difficulties. On March 13, 2020, Georgia shut down and seniors 65 and older had to be sheltered in place, especially those that had underlying health conditions (Alzheimer’s Disease and any other related Dementia). This sheltered in place lasted a very long time for our seniors.Today, a lot of caregivers that care for someone with Alzheimer’s or any other related dementia, still has their loved one sheltered in place and is very cautious about having them around other people Especially people that are not fully vaccinated. The CDC recommends that getting vaccinated prevents severe illness, hospitalizations, and death. People 65 and older who received both doses of either Pfizer or Moderna vaccines showed a 94% reduced risk of COVID-19 related hospitalization. Unvaccinated people should get vaccinated and continue masking until they are fully vaccinated. With the Delta variant, this is more urgent than ever. Older unvaccinated adults are more likely to be hospitalized or die from COVID-19. This pandemic has taken a toll on those affected by Alzheimer’s and other related dementias, their family members, and caregivers. A lot of seniors have either passed away or declined significantly that their loved ones had to put them in either a nursing home, personal care home, or an assisted living facility. At the same time, a lot of caregivers also may be going through some type of depression or feeling so overwhelmed because they are busy taking care of their loved one that they don’t have time to do for themselves. The mission of the Alzheimer’s Services Center (ASC) is to enhance and prolong the highest quality of life possible for persons with Alzheimer’s disease and other related disorders and for their families. During the pandemic, the ASC received a $50,000 grant from Clayton County Hud to feed the citizens of Clayton County. The target population was seniors, people suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease and other related dementias and their families. This project began on August 21, 2020, and we were able to feed over 2500 people. Then our mission continued, ASC became a part of the USDA Farmers to Families Food Program in partnership with Melissa Ellis, CEO of Life Beyond Waters and we distributed over 65,000 thousand food boxes in the Metro Atlanta area from November 2020 through May 2021! Now the Alzheimer’s Services Center feels the need to do more for this population because there is so much more needed. The services provided by the ASC is Adult Day Care, Overnight Respite Care and Caregivers Support. What sets us apart from any other center is that all our clients are those suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease or other related dementias. To be accepted in our program, you must be diagnosed with some type of dementia. During the pandemic, the ASC had to temporarily shut down their operations, due to the population we serve (the most vulnerable). In August of 2020, we became creative and still serviced some of our clients through telehealth (online activities). Those who were not able to participate online, we made sure we sent out packets to their homes, where their caregivers could still do some type of activities with them. We took out the guess work for them. Presently, we are working on resuming all our operations for ASC in first quarter of 2022. Our seniors, especially those suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease or any other related dementia, have been sheltered in place for so long; they have missed out on keeping their social skills, doing a lot of activities that their caregivers may not have the time to do with them because of their work schedules and so forth. Lastly, we also take pride in taking care of our caregivers. By reopening our Overnight Respite program, that caregiver will now be able to take that vacation they have been wanting to do for so long. They can rest assure that their loved one would be in a safe environment and be well taken care of by a trained staff. We are also a resource of information for the community, if they need information regarding Alzheimer’s Disease or any of the other related Dementias. You can rest assure that we will be taking precautions and following all the recommendations and COVID-19 guidance that has be set forth by the CDC for Adult Day Services Centers and Personal Care Homes as it relates to our Overnight Respite Services.