Supervising a building project was not on my to-do list. But I did want to see that dream of a pergola with a comfortable swing materialize in my backyard. The deck was rotting and I had stepped through decaying boards more than once. So the project began and I stayed home to be on hand in case any problems arose. Watching the progress through the window, I took the time to work on my online dementia advocacy activities.

An email came explaining several mini-grants were available from the Central Alabama Aging Consortium in Montgomery to expand dementia friendly communities. The idea was to foster increased awareness in Alabama of the growing dementia incidence and initiate and conduct sustainable programs that offer information to assist caregivers and people living with dementia. The Dementia Friendly concept is slowly growing in the United States and I was excited that the movement had reached our state. I forwarded the information to my friend, AL Cares Coordinator, Della Sanchez at the Area Agency on Aging. I knew she was busy already but this was another dream that wouldn’t leave me alone. I thought, “If I could just find someone who wanted it as bad as I did, maybe we could work together.” She sent back the message suggesting, “You do it.” I thought, “Okay, maybe I should try.” But I’ve never written a grant. Where do I go for help? I began researching the Internet for ideas and talking to people who had successfully written and won grants.

With the construction work happening outside, I began my own construction on the computer. In my seat at the kitchen table, I built a plan to promote dementia friendly practices in faith communities. After all, the church seemed the ideal place to start. What better place could a person go to find support, encouragement, and understanding when facing life with dementia? My proposal was to educate church staff on how to recognize dementia, caregiver stress, be able to create an environment that was welcoming and inclusive and have helpful resources on hand. Culminating these efforts would be to offer a Memory Café, providing a safe and understanding social event for people with dementia and their care partner.

Two days before the grant submission deadline, I sent the draft to Mrs. Sanchez at the Area Agency on Aging. She forwarded it to the director of the AAA, Julie McGee who responded back with her own proposal. She advised that I would not be able to qualify for the grant as an individual. She had encouraged and enabled my efforts in the past so I wasn’t completely shocked at what came next. In her gracious, supportive way, this powerful woman offered to submit the grant application, by making a few small changes, thereby adding the weight of her position and the structure of her office. I began to think we had a real chance at qualifying for this grant.

One might wonder why would I go to so much effort to talk about dementia. The answer is simple. Because dementia has a way of changing the lives of everyone it touches. As a caregiver for my mom and later my aunt, who both lived the last years of their lives with dementia, a passion for helping others navigate that journey grew into advocacy and action. The valuable lessons I learned along the way were too precious to keep to myself. Although caregiving requires strength, courage, and perseverance, we found a way to keep hope alive. We discovered that our journey was one of faith and love. This took time to develop but the further along we went, the experience taught us to anticipate change and face each challenge with confidence. We found joy in helping others, giving us purpose for our journey. We walked together to the very end of both my mom’s and my aunt’s life and parted at heaven’s gates. I determined to take what we had learned and continue to advocate for those who were following behind.

The submission deadline was met. We waited. The results were two weeks away. While shopping in Costco the phone call came that we’d been waiting for. Moving over to a quiet corner of the store, I listened to the results. The voice said she wanted me to be the first to know. We had gotten the grant. In the time it took to hear the good news and wipe away my tears, my life changed.

Reality set in. Now I was responsible for following through with this homespun plan. The agreement was clear from the beginning. The Area Agency on Aging would submit the grant, but I would do the work. Based on the Dementia Friendly America model, this was a grassroots operation and I would need help. Fellow advocate, Jerry Horn had already lent his graphic art talents to the cause so we began to talk about creating a brochure. I consulted with Mrs. McGee’s wise administrative assistant, Nancy Bledsoe. This was an unexpected relationship that became my lifeline. She helped me with everything. She advised how I should keep track of my activity and shared her organizational methods. We worked together on spending the budget – what to buy and the channels that it would take to make purchases. She coached me on how to find presentation opportunities. This took several months to carry out. Meanwhile, I began writing a PowerPoint Presentation (PPX) to convey our message and compiling folders to handout that would not only inspire and educate our faith communities but also offer local resources.

Finally, I was ready to start finding churches that would be interested. With brochure in hand and in PDF ready to share, I made phone calls. I sent out Facebook invitations to alert the dementia community of this opportunity. Nothing was forthcoming. This became a little worrisome, as we had proposed that 10 churches would invite me to talk about becoming dementia friendly by the end of September. And August was almost here. I began to look for any opportunity. My first approach was to ask for help and consultation with a church administrator. We met and after spending two hours talking, he asked for a copy of my folder (at this point it was a rough draft). He made his own copy and I left. I documented the meeting and counted it as number 1.

My next opportunity came by way of the Alzheimer’s Association to speak to our local National Association of Retired Federal Employees (NARFE) group that wanted to know more about the association. As the Alzheimer’s Association Ambassador for District 01, I was happy to oblige. After all, NARFE collectively donates millions of dollars to the Alzheimer’s Association each year and I had a projector, screen, and a rolling bag to carry supplies. So I created a new PPX to talk about what they wanted to hear and wove in what else I was doing. I handed out grant-funded materials and gave out several books.

The next event took place at Westminster Village, a retirement community that offers all levels of care. Upon my arrival posters lined the halls with my photo announcing the event. A tech team helped set up, as people filed in, 41 in all. Several friends from the next county showed up. My ambassador team arrived and helped wherever needed. The smiles and interest on the audience’s faces were encouraging.

By now, my calendar had several commitments secured – two being at my Alma Mata, the University of South Alabama. Going from being a voiceless caregiver to speaking at an OT/PT Conference is a surreal experience. Then I spoke to a Therapeutic Recreation class where, as a student years ago, the inspiration to help the aging population began. And best of all, my mentor, Cathy O’Keefe was present to teach the first part of the class. The students seemed engaged and interested when shown the PPX about activities and life in skilled care that came from my personal experiences.

The next events took place in lovely church facilities: one after a luncheon and another on a Sunday afternoon. Refreshments were set out by the church helpers and my husband was available to run the PPX from the sound booth. My friend, Elisabeth Greene directed the people as they arrived, making sure they signed in and got the proper handouts. For 1 1/2 hours, I talked about dementia, how to prepare, and how to continue an emotional connection with loved ones when living with dementia. We had a drawing for books and some activity ideas on display to share.

Occasionally, I have looked at my ambitious calendar and wonder if I am able to do what I’ve committed to. Then I remember the sight of my back bedroom, which is laden with books, handouts, a printer, ink refills, paper, etc. Folders are stacked up in boxes, along with one box devoted to supplies for the Memory Cafe, which we successfully carried out near the end of the grant period. The happy occasion was held at the Mobile Museum of Art. We had music therapy led by Sonya Atwood followed by art instruction from Elizabet Elliot and Angela King. Refreshments were provided by the AARP. There were 23 people in attendance. Many are ready to return to our next Memory Cafe in November.

By the end of the six-month grant period, we reached and exceeded our goals and managed to speak in front of 173 people altogether. More commitments are on the calendar and I continue to say yes to every opportunity.

The dementia friendly movement in Mobile is driven by the same faith and resolve that sustained us while care partnering. If you have a passion to help create a culture where people with dementia can feel respected, supported and included in everyday community life, now is the time to act. The Central Alabama Aging Consortium is now offering Dementia Friendly Communities Expansion Mini-Grants to people who are ready to change lives: their own and those of people living with or caring for people with dementia. Contact Stephanie Holmes for further information at Stephanie.Holmes@adss.alabama.gmail.com or visit http://centralalabamaaging.org/category/calendar/and learn how to apply.

With our grant completed and more being offered, let’s continue to build dementia friendly communities, offering hope to the thousands who are impacted daily in Alabama.  Catch the vision. We all have a part to play in order to reach all areas of the community. Won’t you join us?

Beth Reinert, October 2017Dementia Friendly Project Manager

Dementia Friendly Project Manager

DementiaFriendlyMobile

The Alzheimer’s Association estimates there are more than five million Americans

living with Alzheimer’s disease and more than 15 million Alzheimer’s caregivers.

On their behalf, I am counted among 1,200 others across the country that appeal to Congress for action on Alzheimer’s disease.

Four people in my family have died from Alzheimer’s disease. As a result,

advocating for those who currently care for their loved ones and for people living

with the disease is a daily mission.

Alzheimer’s is not only devastating but fatal. Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of

death in the U.S. with no cure or prevention.

We thank U.S. Reprentative Bradley Byrne for meeting with our delegation to

discuss the Alzheimer’s crisis. We are grateful for his support of the Health Outcomes, Planning, and Education Act and for increased funding for research.

Most recently we have asked for his support of the Palliative Care Hospice

Education and Training Act (PCHETA).

It is only through adequate funding and implementing the National

Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease that we will meet its goal of preventing and

effectively treating Alzheimer’s by 2025.

To get involved, contact https://byrne.house.gov/contact and ask for support of PCHETA.

Beth Reinert, Ambassador for the AL/FL Panhandle Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.

I just had my first experience with trying to find a lost person who has dementia.  My neighbor, who lives two blocks away, had fallen asleep on the couch for thirty minutes.  Just enough time for her husband to unlock the back door and disappear.  He has Lewy Body disease.  She provides his care 24/7.   Although he had been at the Adult Day Center today, she was exhausted and dozed off.  He was wearing the Project Lifesaver ankle bracelet that just had the battery replaced last week. She called the Sheriff’s office to alert them.  While she waited at the end of her driveway, she informed a passing bicyclist of her husband’s disappearance.  The rider of the bike is a friend of ours, so he came on to our house with the news.  While my husband got our bikes to join in the hunt, I wrote a quick alert on my Next Door App to tell my neighbors and surrounding neighborhoods of this man’s disappearance. We rode to her house and introduced ourselves.  I waited with her while my friend and husband rode off in several directions, trying to find the missing man.  It was quickly getting dark.  The Sheriff arrived who had the GPS equipment to find the ankle bracelet.  He rode off with the radar tool out his window to try to find him.

Meanwhile, a neighbor who was out shopping saw the Next Door App alert come up on her phone about the missing man.  She and her husband had recently driven out of the neighborhood and saw a man standing at the dark backend of a driveway on their way out.  Putting the alert together with seeing the man, they returned home, checking to see if he was still where they had seen him.  He was. As good fortune would have it, this alerted neighbor just happened to be a police officer.  He was able to bring our missing man home without incident.  He alerted the other officers involved who were searching the neighborhood.

While I was waiting with the wife, we prayed together that her husband would be found without incident.  He was.  The networking of neighbors, technology, and the hand of God, all are safe tonight.

Are you connected with your neighbors with the Next Door App?  It’s free and an excellent tool to communicate quickly. Check it out. And then invite your neighbors.

Center for Leadership and Public Policy

October 3, 2014

Alabama Dementia Initiative

With the encouragement of Governor Robert Bentley, the Alabama Department of Senior Services has initiated a major effort to understand and address the growing challenges of Alzheimer’s and dementia in the state of Alabama. To this end, the Center for Leadership and Public Policy (CLPP) at Alabama State University has been contracted to implement the Alabama Dementia Initiate (ADI).

The elements of the ADI are: demographic analysis, eight caregiver workshops at strategic locations in Alabama, a major statewide conference involving key individuals and professionals in the dementia network, a dementia publication to assist caregivers, the development of a comprehensive and informative dementia website and a small grant demonstration program. The project is beginning with the design of multiple survey instruments to be administered by the CLPP Polling and Demographic Research Division. These survey instruments will be focused on the general population of Alabama, a sample of identified caregivers and the organizations providing dementia services in Alabama.

In addition to informing you of the scope of this project, we are contacting you to encourage you or your organization to submit a proposal for the small grant element of the ADI. The total budget for this program is $60,000, where five or more grants of up to $12,000 will awarded in a competitive process. Eligible organizations for this program are universities, local governments, regional planning agencies, nonprofit organizations, for-profit organizations, or a combination of such organizations.

Applicants for these grants must submit proposals of three to five double-spaced, typed pages indicating the overall nature of the proposed grant program, the specific plan for conducting the program, the materials and supplies needed for the program and how the program will be evaluated at its completion. A separate budget page is required for the proposal indicating the cost of personnel, supplies, and services to carry out the grant activities. Special consideration will be given to proposals whose project results are deemed likely to be sustained after the project completion date.

The deadline for the submission of proposals is 5:00 p.m. on Friday, October 31, 2014. The proposals can be sent to tvocino@alasu.edu or by mail to Thomas Vocino, Ph.D., Project Director, Center for Leadership and Public Policy, Alabama State University, 600 South Court Street, Suite 430, Montgomery, AL 36104. A committee will evaluate all proposals and the successful applicants will be notified by November 15, 2014. All grant activities must be completed, including a project evaluation, by August 31, 2015.

If you have any questions concerning the Alabama Dementia Initiative (ADI), please do not hesitate to contact me at 334.229.6015 to tvocino@alasu.edu.

Touching Hearts Senior Care is happy to announce they are going to be one of the Presenting Sponsors for an event to benefit Alzheimer’s and Dementia Respite Care for Gulf Coast Dementia Services. The funds raised are specifically allocated for respite care for individuals and their families suffering from all forms of Dementia, and all funds stay local.

Respite care will consist of at least 4 hour visits to relieve a primary care giver from care, allowing them much needed rest. This is a critical need in our community, as the only other free respite care available for is provided through Alabama Cares funded through the Area Agency on Aging.

SAVE THE DATE for A “K”NIGHT TO REMEMBER

November 6, 2014

6pm – 9pm

Malaga Inn – Downtown Mobile

359 Church St.

 (click here for a detailed flier)

Gina Germany President Touching Hearts Senior Care

Call Gina at 251-445-4204, for more information.

         GLEN CAMPBELL…I’LL BE ME

Volunteers of America Southeast along with sponsors Mercy Medical and Providence Health System is proud to present a private advance screening of the award-winning documentary, Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me.

The documentary is a powerful portrait of the life and musical legacy of the great American musical icon known for hits including Rhinestone Cowboy, Wichita Lineman, and Gentle on My Mind. After being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, Campbell and his wife, Kim, went public with the diagnosis and announced his goodbye tour. Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me documents Glen and his family’s attempt to navigate the wildly unpredictable nature of the progressing disease using love, laughter, and music as their medicine of choice. The film also features those who know and love Glen, including Bruce Springsteen, Bill Clinton, The Edge, Paul McCartney, Jay Leno, Vince Gill,

Jimmy Webb, Blake Shelton, Sheryl Crow, Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Steve Martin, Chad Smith and Taylor Swift, among many others. Rare vintage footage and extraordinary new performances of Campbell’s most beloved hits immerse this moving cinematic account in the overwhelming talent of this humble family man.

Thursday, October 2, 2014
6:45pm – Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me

St. Luke’s High School Auditorium

1400 University Boulevard South

Mobile, AL 36609

For FREE tickets visit www.mobilemovie.eventbrite.com

Or call 251-338-1294

Volunteers of America Southeast is working with the producers of the new documentary film Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me to raise national awareness of the challenges facing Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers, and those who have the emotionally and physically challenging job of caring for them. In partnership with Mercy Medical and Providence Health System, Volunteers of America Southeast is proud to offer this advance screening to our community.

Click here for the big scoop.  Thanks, AL.com for this great coverage.

Register now for the Eastern Shore Walk to End Alzheimer’s.

See  AL.com press release and then read the original below.  Thanks, AL.com for getting the word out.

Check it out.

However, here is the complete article:

EASTERN SHORE WALK TO END ALZHEIMER’S

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. At the age of 84, retired nurse Peggy Sagan of Fairhope, Alabama, never imagined that she would be observing the care of her own daughter, Pat. Especially since her daughter had excelled in nursing, pursuing degree after degree to become an instructor and mentor to so many. Peggy didn’t want to believe that Pat had become the victim of early onset Alzheimer’s disease at age 50. However, with no cure in sight, Peggy does what she can. Accompanied by a faithful friend, she makes the weekly trip to Biloxi, Mississippi, to visit Pat, who lives with her husband and two sons. Pat was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s 8 years ago and now receives care from not only her husband and family members but also from hospice.

Because of the distance between Fairhope and Biloxi, Peggy can’t help her daughter as often as she’d like. Instead, she volunteers at the Adult Day Respite called Shepherd’s Place, located at the Fairhope Methodist Church. The Director of Caring Ministries of the church, Dr. Ann Pearson, established Shepherd’s Place out of her own experience of caring for her mother, who for seven years lived with Alzheimer’s disease. What started out as a two day a week respite to support caregivers in 2009 has doubled to four days a week, with 35-40 volunteers to help run the program.

The team at Shepherd’s Place is preparing for the upcoming “Eastern Shore Walk to End Alzheimer’s,” which will raise awareness of the growing population of people living with dementia. After all, 93,000 Alabamians are estimated to have Alzheimer’s. Of Americans age 65 and older, 1 in 9 has Alzheimer’s; for those age 85 and older, 1 in 3 has the disease. Another American develops Alzheimer’s disease every 67 seconds. Due to the large number of Americans suffering from this disease, purple is becoming easily recognized as the color to support Alzheimer’s disease.

The Walk is designed to raise funds to further the care, support, and research efforts of the Alzheimer’s Association. Although there is no registration fee, all walkers must register and are encouraged to make a donation to join the fight against Alzheimer’s. The event will begin at the Fairhope Pier on September 20, 2014. Registration opens at 7:30 a.m., the ceremony begins at 8:45 a.m., and is followed by a two-mile walk through Fairhope.

Shepherd’s Place will have a booth set up to display colorful art projects participants have made. Other informative booths representing resources available in our area to families living with Alzheimer’s disease will be featured. Fairhope’s own Andy Luedecke of Synergy Home Care is the force behind the Walk along with many volunteers who are dedicated to make life better for those living with Alzheimer’s disease.

Registered walkers will receive a “promise garden” flower in the color that best represents their connection to the disease. Peggy will be given a yellow flower as she currently supports her daughter, Pat. Ann will have a purple flower as she has lost her mother to the disease. There will be blue flowers for people living with the disease, and Andy will have an orange flower as he supports the cause and a vision of a world without Alzheimer’s.

The Alzheimer’s Association “Eastern Shore Walk To End Alzheimer’s” is promising to be an anticipated annual affair for the entire family. To be a part of this inaugural event, put on your purple attire and join in. Everyone has a reason to end Alzheimer’s.

For more information or to register online, go to act.alz.org.

Written by Alzheimer’s Association advocate, Beth Reinert, of caregiversunite.org.

This public seminar is for seniors and persons with disabilities as well as lay persons who provide their care or manage their financial or legal affairs. Along with information, free power of attorneys and advanced directives are provided for people age 60 and older.

The seminar for lay people is on Wednesday, July 30, 2014 at Via Health Fitness and Enrichment Center, located at 1717 Dauphin Street, Mobile, AL 36606.  Times:  9:00a.m. – 12:00p.m. for seminar, 12:30 – 4:30pm for free power of attorneys and advanced directives.

The seminar for professionals is on Tuesday, July 29 from 9:00a.m. to 4:00p.m. at the Via Center and on Thursday at the James Nix Center in Fairhope.  CEU’s are available.

The seminar speaker is Clayton Davis, Attorney at Law, who has over 35 years of experience with nursing home Medicaid and other public benefits and probate matters.

For more information, call the Area Agency on Aging at 251-433-6541.