Silver Alerts Highlight Need for Specialized Alzheimer's Units
By: Brittney Johnson, KARK 4 News
Updated: November 30, 2012
A missing Little Rock man is back home safely after wandering off on Thursday. Little Rock Police issued a Silver Alert for 60-year-old Larry Smith, highlighting he suffers from Dementia.
In the Silver Alert, police mentioned that Smith sometimes forgot his name, which nurses say is often a sign that a person may need specialized care.
"Memory loss is not a normal part of aging," says nurse Monica Williams.
It's often one the first signs of Alzheimer's or Dementia, which Nurse Williams sees nearly every day.
"Take three different puzzles and throw them all in the basket, that's their late stages," she says. "They're trying to put puzzle pieces together that don't go together."
At Fox Ridge facilities in North Little Rock and North Little Rock, security measures keep clients safe and activities exercise their memories.
"We kind of go to things they know, with knitting and sewing," Williams says.
Fox Ridge is one of roughly a dozen certified facilities state-wide designed specifically for Alzheimer's patients that could be at risk without proper supervision. Advocates say the need is great, but there is a shortage of resources.
"When I see Silver Alerts I just see it as, 'I have to get to that family,'" says nurse Shay Stevens.
The problem pushed Stevens to open Millennium Adult Day Care on North Rodney Parham.
"They have a better sense of self-worth and dignity; and families enjoy the break knowing their loved ones are well cared for," Stevens says.
But first, both nurses say families have to recognize the signs and explore these options at the early stages, before it's too late.
Fox Ridge provides cards for people to put pictures and info inside to carry with them. For more information on these silver alert cards, click here and contact Fox Ridge.
According to Alzheimer's Arkansas, somewhere between 50-75,000 people suffer in the state from dementia.
Included in those numbers are 1 in 8 people over 65 and nearly half of people over 85 years old.
In the Silver Alert, police mentioned that Smith sometimes forgot his name, which nurses say is often a sign that a person may need specialized care.
"Memory loss is not a normal part of aging," says nurse Monica Williams.
It's often one the first signs of Alzheimer's or Dementia, which Nurse Williams sees nearly every day.
"Take three different puzzles and throw them all in the basket, that's their late stages," she says. "They're trying to put puzzle pieces together that don't go together."
At Fox Ridge facilities in North Little Rock and North Little Rock, security measures keep clients safe and activities exercise their memories.
"We kind of go to things they know, with knitting and sewing," Williams says.
Fox Ridge is one of roughly a dozen certified facilities state-wide designed specifically for Alzheimer's patients that could be at risk without proper supervision. Advocates say the need is great, but there is a shortage of resources.
"When I see Silver Alerts I just see it as, 'I have to get to that family,'" says nurse Shay Stevens.
The problem pushed Stevens to open Millennium Adult Day Care on North Rodney Parham.
"They have a better sense of self-worth and dignity; and families enjoy the break knowing their loved ones are well cared for," Stevens says.
But first, both nurses say families have to recognize the signs and explore these options at the early stages, before it's too late.
Fox Ridge provides cards for people to put pictures and info inside to carry with them. For more information on these silver alert cards, click here and contact Fox Ridge.
According to Alzheimer's Arkansas, somewhere between 50-75,000 people suffer in the state from dementia.
Included in those numbers are 1 in 8 people over 65 and nearly half of people over 85 years old.
Comments
I'd like to invite the readers to visit my website at www.millenniumadultdaycare.com to learn more about us! Thank you KARK 4 for the opportunity, and thanks to the readers and viewers for your interest!
shay s.
November 30, 2012 at 11:21 pm
