For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, the E.W. Thompson Alzheimer's and Dementia Caregiver Support Group began hosting meetings again in December.
The support group is presented by the Alzheimer's Association of Greater Missouri and provides help to families and caregivers who have a loved one with Alzheimer's or dementia. The local group is organized by Kathy Medlock, with E.W. Thompson Health and Rehab Center medical records, and Kendra Bloess, a social worker at the facility.
Medlock said the first meeting was hosted in December, but the second meeting in January was canceled due to winter weather. The next meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 5, at the E.W. Thompson lower-level conference room. The group meets on the first Monday of the month.
Medlock explained on Wednesday morning, Jan. 17 why a support group is essential to family and caregivers.
"I started in the nursing field in nursing homes back in 1981," she explained. "That's when I became a CNA. We had dementia patients and such, but that's when I started, and it's a very big passion for me.”
She added her mother, Bonnie Roark, who'd had Alzheimer's for 15 years, was a resident at E.W for five years.
"She passed away this past October," Medlock said. "And my sister (Darlena Johnson) took care of her the last two years of her life at home. My sister was able to take her home, and she felt like she needed to do that."
Medlock noted that the staff at E.W. have a long history of working in long-term care with Alzheimer's and dementia patients.
"You have to be a special person to work in this field," she said. "And most of us have longevity in the field. But it's a passion of mine because of my mom. And my husband was just diagnosed two years ago with FTD, which is Frontotemporal Degeneration. So, it's been even more of a passion for me."
Bloess said she works with the families of patients with Alzheimer's and dementia at E.W.
"We have families that come in, and they really don't understand dementia and Alzheimer's," she noted. "So, we educate them on helping them step into their loved ones' reality."
Medlock added if a resident is asking for their husband and he is deceased, if the patient is told he died, they mourn all over again.
"So, you have to live in their world," she explained. "You might say he's going to come after a while, and by that time, they usually have forgotten that they were looking for their husband."
The women said many families want to try and get their loved ones to remember – but that's impossible.
"You have to go past that and work in their reality," Medlock said.
She added that's what the support group is all about. The group helps develop a support system for the families where they can exchange practical information and possible solutions. It also allows families to talk through issues and find a way of coping. Those who attend can share their feelings, needs, and concerns and learn about community resources. Medlock added Alzheimer's and dementia hits all demographics, and no one is immune.
"Just knowing there are others who have the same issues, (and) they are struggling with family members," she noted. "It's like a loss; you're losing them. It's not like a sudden death; it's like a slow death."
Everything said in the room is confidential for those who attend the meetings. Sometimes Medlock will have a topic to discuss; they also discuss preventive measures such as what types of food to eat, exercising, and keeping one's mind active.
"Because most families know that it might be coming down the pike for them," she said. “So they want to know what they can do to prevent it."
Medlock added that anyone who comes to the support group is considered family because they understand. Bloess said families shouldn't be afraid to come to the meetings.
"A lot of them don't know about Alzheimer's and dementia," she said. "Prior to me working here, I knew nothing about it. So, I've learned a lot in my five and half years here.
"Every one of our residents are different in their disease process," she continued. "And there's going to be things where one day they know how to feed themselves and the next day they can't."
Medlock added one person's journey with Alzheimer's or dementia is not like another's.
Bloess encouraged caregivers to ask questions.
"We will find you an answer," she added.
Medlock noted some people are called to work with individuals with Alzheimer's and dementia.
"We have that special part in us that God equipped us to handle these things," she said. "Some people can't. You don't work here unless you love the Alzheimer's patients."
The E.W. Thompson Alzheimer's and Dementia Caregiver Support Group meets at 6 p.m. on the first Monday of the month at E.W. Thompson Health and Rehab Center, 975 Mitchell Road. The next meeting is at 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 5. For more information, call Medlock at 660-287-6939.
Faith Bemiss-McKinney can be reached at 660-530-0289.
