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Caregivers play vital role to Alzheimers patients

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It can start with a misplaced set of keys or a slight difference in thinking. A little while later, it manifests itself in problems with language, difficulty performing familiar tasks and changes in personality. By the time a case of Alzheimer's Disease is in its final stages, a victim is only a shadow of the person he once was and often suffer from hallucinations, changes in mood and behavior and severe memory loss.

Alzheimer's Disease is the seventh-leading killer in the United States and there is currently no cure. Though Alzheimer's Dis-ease and other types of dementia are diseases everyone would like to avoid, those diagnosed or faced with caring for a loved one with the disease must face it head on.

Phil Whaley of Lovell knows the reality of Alzheimer's Disease. His wife, Ilene, of 63 years has suffered with the disease for five years, recently being admitted to the care center for constant care.

Whaley said they started to see signs of the disease in 2005, gradually at first. Whaley noticed Ilene would misplace things more often and she began having episodes of confusion. Wha-ley said he took his wife to several doctors as the disease progressed, but it was the 11th doctor who finally gave Whaley the diagnosis he didn't want to hear, but had suspected for a while: Alzheimer's Disease.

While there are no drugs currently approved that are known to prevent or stop the disease, there are medications that may temporarily delay memory decline and treat Alzheimer's symptoms in some patients, according to the Alzheimer's Association. A growing body of evidence suggests that the health of the brain is closely linked to the overall health of the heart and blood vessels, according to an article in Caring Magazine. Early detection can give patients a chance to try medications to slow the progress of the disease.

Over the next five years, Whaley found these facts and researched everything he could about Alzheimer's Disease. He studied the facets of being a caregiver for someone with dementia.

In the initial stages, Whaley remembers Ilene having increasing problems organizing what was once her true passion - researching and writing her family's history. Ilene finally acknowledged her frustrations one day and told Phil she was going to give up writing the family histories as the disease progressed. She was there one day and gone the next, Whaley said, as the disease advanced with speed.

"I feel like I lost her in 2005, "Whaley said. "She went through personality changes and I had to learn a whole new language to communicate with her."

Whaley said he learned to follow the three S's: "keep it short, simple and smile" while caring for Ilene. He followed whatever tips for caregivers he could find, butnoted that no two people react to Alzheimer's Disease in exactly the same way.

Changes in his wife's personality also changed Whaley's personality, he said. Whaley noted in 2006 that he had taken charge of duties and responsibilities that his wife formerly took care of, along with other changes in their relationship. He noted his wife had frequent delusions, hallucinations, motor features similar to

Parkinson's Disease and social withdraw. Ilene's voice, which was once strong and loud, became very soft.

The Whaleys lived in Powell before moving to Lovell, Whaley said. They organized a caregivers support group where caregivers would gather together to share experiences and share their support for one another.

Whaley said they tried to form a similar group in Lovell, but there was not

enough participation to keep it going.

"People think they can handle it themselves, "he said about caring for someone with Alzheimer's Disease. "I for one found out I couldn't handle it. The doc said 'you're going to be in here first if you're not careful.'"

Ilene's condition worsened until she fell and broke her hip at the beginning of August, forcing Whaley to admit her to the New Horizons Care Center for constant care.

Whaley and the couple's daughter visit Ilene about every day, though some days Ilene doesn't seem to know them, he said. While Ilene has always been a fighter, Whaley said her current prognosis isn't good.

On the good days, Ilene remembers Whaley, but it is still hard for her to communicate, he said. He's able to jog her memory sometimes, thinking of what she's trying to say and asking her questions, but Ilene is in constant pain from the disease and from the several broken bones she has suffered recently.

While patients often become frustrated when they see the first signs of memory loss and confusion in themselves, by the end stages it is sometimes hard to decipher what is going on inside their brain.

"None of us know how they hurt up there, "Whaley said.

But while facing the cruel disease, Whaley said he just has to keep going and remembers the great life he and his wife lived together. Ilene spent 20 years teaching home economics, with four years in Cowley. Whaley said she was a great homemaker who always surprised everyone with her creativity while completing projects at home.



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© 2011 The Lovell Chronicle Lovell, Wyoming. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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