Brain Bus, and Memory Lane to be held at Rec Center for Alzheimer’s Awareness Month
By MEGHAN BRADBURY
mbradbury@breezenewspapers.com
November, which is recognized as National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month, is being highlighted at the Sanibel Recreation Center with a few programs for the community.
“Hopefully every year, we can grow this month of awareness by offering more workshops to the community that gets the conversation going and keeps it going,” Sanibel Recreation Center Marketing & Events Coordinator Denise Dillon said.
She said last year was the first time they held an Alzheimer’s Awareness Month at the Sanibel Recreation Center. A community photo exhibit, Memory Lane, was also included.
The heartfelt photo exhibit showcases the treasured moments, cherished faces, and the enduring power of memory within the Sanibel Recreation Center lobby. Each photo submitted will include a story that brings that memory to life.
“It shouldn’t be something people should be embarrassed about, or hide in the closet. It’s amazing to see just how many folks were touched by Alzheimers — whether personally in their family, spouse, mother,” Dillon said.
The exhibit opens conversations to share experiences.
Alzheimer’s and dementia have touched Dillon’s family, providing first hand knowledge on how hard it is on caregivers and families to walk alongside their loved one through the disease. Memory Lane, Dillion said, provides an outlet to share stories and speak about loved ones, and the memories before the terrible disease took hold.
“By submitting their photo of a loved one, it shares a little bit about their story, as it is on display at the Rec Center,” she said.
Those who would like to submit a digital photo can email them to denise.dillon@mysanibel.com, or drop off printed photos at the Sanibel Recreation Center, 3880 Sanibel Captiva Road.
The Memory Lane exhibit will begin on Sunday, Nov. 8. Dillon said she will continue to add photographs to the exhibit throughout the month.
“Everyone who submitted last year, I am going to hang those up as well. It really kept the conversation going, which was important. To see people pause and read individual stories, was very heartwarming,” Dillon said.
She said it is all about making people more aware of the signs — those they may see in themselves, or notice in their loved ones.
“The earlier the intervention the better. It shouldn’t be laughed about, shun or unspoken,” Dillon said.
The Sanibel Recreation Center Alzheimer’s Awareness Month activities includes a stop by the Brain Bus, and the Alzheimer’s Association Florida Gulf Coast Chapter on Thursday, Nov. 5, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Recreation Center.
Cynthia Perthuis, is a board member for the Alzheimer’s Association Florida Gulf Coast Chapter, said the Brain Bus is out limited times, as it travels the state of Florida.
“It’s an interactive vehicle to learn about the signs of the disease, what you should do if you know someone or love someone. That is the beauty of the brain bus,” she said.
The Brain Bus will offer both information and a speaker who will share information and give tips, tricks and tools to use to watch your brain and a loved one’s brain. There are interactive games, and a plethora of material in multiple languages regarding healthy brains, what Alzheimer’s is and warning signs.
The 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s, a free presentation, will be held at 11 a.m., also on Thursday, Nov. 5. Perthuis said the presentation given will focus on brain health.
“The presentation is to help people understand the disease,” she said.
Perthuis said a new intervention study, the U.S. POINTER study, came out about a year ago regarding how to reduce the risks of some signs of, or, propensity of getting Alzheimer’s.
The study, the Alzheimer’s Association U.S. Study to Protect Brain Health through Lifestyle Intervention to Reduce Risk, was a two year clinical trial that evaluated lifestyle interventions. The study focused on older adults — age 60 to 79 years old.
The two-year trial focused on “what your mom told you to do,” Perthuis said, such as focusing on health and nutrition, physical exercise and cognitive engagement — all of which increase cognitive abilities.
“It’s not a secret pill. It’s not a magic thing. It’s about living a healthy lifestyle. I see it every single day. We’ve got to get healthy to keep our brains healthy. What is good for your heart, is good for your brain,” she said.
The U.S. POINTER Brain Health recipe includes: 30-35 minutes of moderate to intense aerobic activity four times a week, as well as strength and flexibility exercise twice a week; cognitive exercise three times a week for 30 minutes and regular engagement in other intellectually challenging and social activities; consumption of dark leafy greens, berries, nuts, whole grains, olive oil, fish, limited sugar and unhealthy fats; and regular check-ins on blood pressure, weight and lab results for health monitoring.
“A lot of times people don’t know what they don’t know,” Perthuis said.
She said everything with the Alzheimer’s Association is free, which includes other support services.
Some of those include caregiving services to provide a helping hand, so the caregiver can do such things as go to the grocery store or visit their grandchildren. There are also support groups offered either online, or at physical locations.
Perthuis said she became involved with the Alzheimer’s Association because her father died with Alzheimer’s, a disease that runs deep in her family.
“I have a gene that gives me a higher chance than the general public,” she said. “I work with people that have the disease. I am 66 and I am watching all the time because it runs in my family.”
Perthuis engages in health and nutrition, as well as sees the doctor once a year to be tested and participates in clinical trials.
“It’s important for me selfishly, but people that have it — all my clients, for my children and grandchildren,” she said.
Alzheimer’s touches everybody.
“The caregivers stress of this is really unbelievable,” Perthuis said. “If we think about the amount of care that is given by caregivers unpaid, is in the millions of dollars.”
She said there is a 67% higher chance of the caregiver dying before the person they are caring for.
“That stress is really deadly,” Perthuis said.
There are 877,000 Floridians — 13 million Americans — that do this unpaid kind of care, she said.
Society is changing to where the largest growth sits within solo agers — people who do not have children, are estranged from children, or living on the other side of the country from their family.
“We don’t live in a world where families are available and in close proximity to take care of this. We are a pretty global society,” Perthuis said. “We have to figure out how to care for people — have to get a cure — but in the meantime we have to find a way to protect the caregivers as well.”
There are 7.4 million Americans who have Alzheimer’s disease over the age of 65, which is expected to rise to 10 million by 2050.