April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
HEALTH CARE
Parish care teams support families battling dementia
Parish care teams support families battling dementia
"I had an entirely wrong concept" of what Alzheimer's care entailed, she said.
For the past four years, the Sullivans have taken advantage of the "Two by Two" Faith in Action care team at their parish, Transfiguation in Speigletown/Schaghticoke. The care team is run in part through The Eddy Alzheimer's Services.
Care teams of one or two people go to parishioners' homes to support both the caregiver and the individual who has Alzheimer's. While one team member might take a caregiver to a support group or the grocery store, explained volunteer Linda Secor, the other sits with the family member who has Alzheimer's.
Providing reprieve
Ms. Secor and others helped bring the program to Transfiguration parish about eight years ago.
"There's a need for it," she said. Caregivers "need a reprieve. You get to know these parishioners and get to be a part of their life, too. When people are home, they're isolated."
Jeanie (last name withheld) of St. Henry's parish in Averill Park calls the program "community outreach."
Volunteers at St. Henry's are helping people outside of their immediate parish: The Sand Lake Area Faith Community Ecumenical Team is comprised of parishioners from St. Henry's, Salem United Methodist Church, Zion United Church of Christ, Bloomingrove Reformed Church and the Church of the Covenant.
Sandy Monahan, program coordinator for The Eddy, manages 23 care teams in four counties in the Albany Diocese. "They're incredible people," she told The Evangelist.
Ms. Monahan said she gets referrals "from all over the place." After meeting with families who have a loved one with Alzheimer's, Ms. Monahan will whether a care team would be a good fit.
Alone no more
For the Sullivans, having care team volunteers visit allows Mr. Sullivan to stay in his home.
Being home alone a lot of the time "makes you feel obsolete," Mrs. Sullivan told The Evangelist. "We have to have a lot of help. This program is making it easier."
In the United States, one out of every three senior citizens dies with Alzheimer's disease or another form of dementia, according to the Alzheimer's Association. The AA says that Alzheimer's is "the only cause of death in the top 10 in America that cannot be prevented, cured or slowed."
Mr. Sullivan began showing symptoms of dementia 11 years ago. After the couple's young granddaughter passed away, the family thought their patriarch was simply experiencing depression.
"The boys were in a state of denial," said Mrs. Sullivan. The couple has four grown sons, nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Even after visiting Albany Medical Center's Memory Clinic and getting support from The Eddy Alzheimer's Services, "it was getting to the point where I couldn't cope anymore," said Mrs. Sullivan. "As things got more serious, we got more and more help."
Mr. Sullivan now has an aide who comes daily from The Eddy. Mrs. Sullivan, who is legally blind, has a friend stop by a few times throughout the week to help her with her hair. A cleaning lady does housework and grocery shopping; relatives make meals, and neighbors check in often.
"I'm so thankful for what I have," said Mrs. Sullivan. "It's a matter of enjoying what you have, not feeling sorry for what you don't have."
Team on call
The Sullivans call on members of the care team whenever they need a visit from friends. In addition to weekly visits and twice-monthly support-group outings, Mrs. Sullivan has also asked for help at other times: for example, when the Sullivans' grandson got married, Mrs. Sullivan knew she would be upset that her and her husband were unable to go to the wedding. She asked someone from the care team to visit that day to comfort her.
All of the members of the team also got together for Mr. Sullivan's 95th birthday. "I can't tell you how much it's enhanced our lives," Mrs. Sullivan said of the care time. "We have a wonderful time" with the visitors.
The couple has lived in their Speigletown home for 61 years. Mrs. Sullivan plans to do all she can to make sure they remain there. When the care team comes for a "friendly visit," they bring ginger ale and doughnuts. Ms. Secor fills Mrs. Sullivan in on news about the town; Mr. Sullivan interjects when he's feeling up to it.
They sit on the back porch that Mr. Sullivan built with his father. "There's a two-stall [garage] underneath," he said.
"He's the youngest 95-year-old in the area," Mrs. Sullivan boasted about her husband.[[In-content Ad]]
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