Doris Wood led a pretty standard life prior to her diagnosis. The former elementary school teacher and counselor was active in her church and community.
About 12 years ago things began to change.
“After she retired, we noticed memory loss; she misplaced things,” said Wood’s daughter, Anita Gaillard. “We noticed changes, but we didn’t worry too much about it.”
Wood’s changes eventually progressed enough to warrant a trip to her physician. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
“It seems as if she accepted it right way. Things would happen and she’d say ‘Oh, I’m sorry, I have Alzheimer’s,’” said Gaillard. “There was enough of her personality and enough of her abilities where it didn’t seem so bad.”
Over time, Wood stopped doing her daily activities, which caused Clarence, her husband of 62 years, to make some tough decisions. The Woods moved out of their home and into an assisted living facility that had a special memory care unit.
Wood began to not recognize her loved ones including her husband. Her lack of retentiveness led her to reside in the special memory care unit full time. As Wood’s knowledge decreased, her family took steps to increase their knowledge about Alzheimer’s disease.
“It’s been difficult, but we decided to embrace this disease, learn as much as possible about it and try to understand the stages and what my mother would be going through,” said Gaillard.
Gaillard said her father, siblings and all of the grandchildren received counseling to further understand Alzheimer’s disease. For the past several years, Clarence has attended an Alzheimer’s support group once a week. These steps have aided the family in witnessing the decline of Wood’s health.
Today, Wood is unable to speak and has very little control of her body. Gaillard tearfully said much of her mother’s personality is still present, however Alzheimer’s has completely affected her life.
Linda Altmeyer, program director for the Alzheimer’s Association Greater Indiana Chapter, said Wood’s experience is the classic story of someone suffering from the disease.
According to the association, Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. Symptoms usually develop slowly and get worse over time, becoming severe enough to interfere with daily tasks.
“Dementia’s a symptom and Alzheimer’s is the disease,” explained Altmeyer.
Other symptoms include challenges in planning or solving problems; confusion with time or place; decreased or poor judgment; and withdrawal from work or social activities.
Altmeyer said forgetfulness is a natural part of growing older, however with Alzheimer’s disease there’s sharp decreases in memory such as forgetting how to drive a car rather than forgetting where the car was parked.
Unfortunately the cause of Alzheimer’s is unknown. There are treatments to help slow memory loss, but further deterioration is inevitable. Furthermore there is a strong need for funding for research and also participants for clinical trails. African-Americans are severely underrepresented in advancements in Alzheimer’s detection and care.
“Age is the greatest risk factor, but African-Americans are almost two times more likely than Caucasians of the same age group, to have Alzheimer’s and other dementias,” said Altmeyer. This fact is suspected to be because Blacks have high rates of vascular disease.
The disease is different for every sufferer and every family but Altmeyer said the Alzheimer’s Association works with families one-on-one to develop a plan for the progression of the disease. They also help families make the difficult choice of placing the sufferer in long-term care or keeping them at home.
“If somebody is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s and they can still have a say in their care, that’s the best case scenario,” said Altmeyer.
The association also provides support programs for the entire family no matter the stage of the disease.
The association helped Gaillard and her family deal with her mother’s battle with Alzheimer’s disease. She encourages other families like hers to not be afraid to reach out to the association for help.
“It’s difficult to understand and navigate through. Your loved one is alive and with you, but you lose them in a way that’s different. You have to come to some understanding of it so you can get through it as best as you can,” said Gilliard. “All that benefits the quality of life for the person with Alzheimer’s disease. My mother’s quality of life is good in spite of the disease.”
For more information, call the Alzheimer’s Association at 800-272-3900 or visit alz.org/Indiana.
Warning signs of Alzheimer’s
– Memory loss that disrupts daily life.
– Challenges in planning or solving problems. They may have difficulty concentrating and take much longer to do things than they did before.
– Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work or at leisure. Sometimes, people may have trouble driving to a familiar location, managing a budget at work or remembering the rules of a favorite game.
– Confusion with time or place: People with Alzheimer’s can lose track of dates, seasons and the passage of time. Sometimes they may forget where they are or how they got there.
– Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships.
– New problems with words in speaking or writing.
– Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps.
– Decreased or poor judgment. For example, they may use poor judgment when dealing with money, giving large amounts to telemarketers. They may pay less attention to grooming or keeping themselves clean.
– Withdrawal from work or social activities.
– Changes in mood and personality. They can become confused, suspicious, depressed, fearful or anxious. They may be easily upset at home, at work, with friends or in places where they are out of their comfort zone.
