Daily Connections
Dementia Care: The Heritage WayBy Chris Anderson
Article Photos
For many of us, creating and reliving wonderful memories on a day-to-day basis is something we truly take for granted. We reminisce about times spent as a family and look forward to creating new memories to cherish for a lifetime.
For a family dealing with Alzheimer's and other dementia-related illnesses, memories are often distant and remain as the only thing a family can hold onto when a loved one has been diagnosed.
For a person struggling with dementia, memories are forgotten and the family is then burdened to deal with the pain of their loved one losing their cognitive ability due to the effects of this disease. For two local families, dealing with Alzheimer's and living with this disease has become a bit easier thanks to a new dementia care program called Connections.
ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE DEFINED
According to the Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's is a brain disorder named for German physician Alois Alzheimer, who first described it in 1906.
Today, we know that Alzheimer's is a progressive and fatal brain disease. As many as 5 million Americans are living with the disease. Alzheimer's destroys brain cells, causing problems with memory, thinking and behavior severe enough to affect work, lifelong hobbies and social life.
Alzheimer's currently has no cure, but treatments for symptoms, combined with the right services and support, can make life better for the millions of Americans living with it.
CONNECTIONS
Connections is a groundbreaking program developed by Heritage Ministries. It is a multi-faceted, person-centered dementia care program designed to engage skilled nursing residents in purposeful activities.
Connections is offered at Heritage Park, Jamestown; Heritage Green, Greenhurst; and Heritage Village Rehab and Skilled Nursing, Gerry.
The program includes an in-patient day center and focuses on and validates the residents' remaining cognitive, emotional, physical and social abilities, rather than their losses.
Nearly 15 percent of seniors age 71 and older have dementia of some sort, and nearly two-thirds of those have Alzheimer's, a new analysis suggests. That is equal to about 3.4 million Americans with dementia of some kind, according to a National Institutes of Health-sponsored study.
Connections provides greater flexibility in resident participation, as residents from all units of a skilled nursing facility are able to participate. The program is run by staff in the activities department with assistance from certified nursing assistants.
In this model, residents who typically remain on their unit without formal activity due to behaviors or intolerance can participate by daily attending the inpatient day care program. The program provides the resident with a structured and purposeful day.
CONNECTIONS MAKES A DIFFERENCE
For Dianna Buttafaro, accepting her mother Josephine Grice's diagnosis of dementia and placing her mother in skilled nursing was not an easy decision.
After a year as a resident at Heritage Park Rehab and Skilled Nursing, Josephine now remains mentally active and challenged through involvement in Connections.
''My mom has been a widow for over 30 years,'' Buttafaro said. ''She was a homemaker and was one of 11 children.
"She was very active and social and liked to go out dancing and enjoyed life. When the decision presented itself, it was difficult to move my mother out of her home. Initially, she was placed in assisted living, but it became more evident as time passed, that she required more progressive care that only a skilled nursing facility could provide.''
''Since participating in Connections, my mother has shown improvement in weight-gain and has enhanced her sleeping habits and eating patterns,'' Buttafaro said. ''For my family, this program has been a true relief.
''When we came to visit Mom before the Connections program existed, we would leave here depressed. It was deflating to see her sad and depressed. But since her participation in Connections, we have seen a dramatic change in her overall attitude. Visits are much more pleasant and enjoyable. This program has filled a real void in my mother's life,'' Buttafaro continued.
For Jackie Cannon, daughter of Connections resident Charlie Jarosz, Connections has had a positive impact on not only her father, but her entire family. ''Connections has made such a dramatic improvement on my father's overall attitude and outlook,'' Cannon said. ''My father is more talkative, awake, and is generally more upbeat when we come to visit him.
''Before Connections existed, we would visit and there would be no conversation at all,'' Cannon said. ''But since his participation in the program, his social interactions have improved dramatically. This has allowed our visits with him to be more productive and enjoyable.''
''My recommendation to others dealing with dementia is to take it one day at a time,'' Cannon said. ''One thing I have learned is to go with the flow, so to speak, and let a conversation develop from your loved one's perspective.''
THE PEOPLE BEHIND CONNECTIONS
A program such as Connections is only as good as the staff administering it. Trecia Meachum, Connections facilitator at Heritage Park, and the many activity assistants and CNAs are dedicated to providing residents of Connections with purposeful activities.
''Facilitating the Connections program is one of the most rewarding jobs I have ever had,'' Meachum said. ''It is a job that gives my day a real purpose. More importantly, at the end of the day, I am confident that what I do truly has meaning to someone's life.
''Before Connections, most of our dementia residents wouldn't experience daily purpose,'' Meachum said. ''Now, when I arrive for work each morning, some of the residents walk with me to my office asking what activities are scheduled for the day. It truly is a special feeling to watch someone who accomplished little to nothing come alive with a great purpose to get up in the morning.''
A COMMITMENT TO DEMENTIA CARE
Heritage Ministries is committed to providing engaging dementia care that promotes hope, dignity and purposeful living on a daily basis. Soon, Heritage Ministries will begin construction of an official Connections Center on the second floor of Heritage Park. Thanks to the generous support of the Ralph C. Sheldon Foundation, Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, Johnson Foundation, Butterfield Memorial Foundation, Sen. Cathy Young's Member Initiative Grant and the Hultquist Foundation, the new Connections Center will allow Heritage Park to enable those afflicted with Alzheimer's and dementia to enjoy a better quality of life, while extending the period of time they can enjoy it. Funding is also being sought to add a Connections Center at Heritage Green within the next year.
Heritage Ministries will also participate in the 2008 Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk at 10 a.m. on Saturday at Chautauqua Institution. The Memory Walk is a nationwide event to raise money to fight Alzheimer's Disease and dementia.
This year, Heritage Ministries has recruited more than 80 walkers for its team to help fight Alzheimer's and honor its Connections' residents. Individuals interested in participating in this event as part of the Heritage Ministries team should contact Chris Anderson at 487-6873.
To learn more about Connections, call Heritage Admissions at 484-6695 or visit www.heritage1886.org.
