Going through Alzheimer’s can be a lonely, frightening ordeal for people afflicted with the disease, as well as the families and caregivers who are responsible for around-the-clock care that can last up to a decade or more.
Stigma associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia can lead to social isolation for both patients and caregivers.
To help ease the loneliness and the stress, the Central Coast chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association has partnered with local senior facilities to offer Alzheimer’s Cafés, where people with dementia, their caregivers, and anyone else interested in dementia can gather to enjoy music and refreshments, and to socialize and learn more about dementia.
The Northern Santa Barbara County Alzheimer’s Café will be held at Magnolia, a residence for people with memory disorders. The first meeting will be held on Jan. 31, from 10 to 11:30 a.m., at Magnolia’s Party Barn, 4620 Song Lane, in Orcutt.
“It’s really wonderful for the people in our communities to now have an Alzheimer’s Café,” Alzheimer’s Association Central Coast manager Sara Bartlett said in a press release. “We meet with families all the time who feel isolated and often overwhelmed by Alzheimer’s disease. This café has been very successful around the world, and I believe it will be equally successful in our area.”
The Dutch psychiatrist Bere Miesen pioneered Alzheimer’s Café in 1997 in the Netherlands. There, people with dementia, their caregivers, relatives, and professionals would meet in a café environment to socialize and talk about the problems they were facing. The idea has caught on in the United States—and recently more specifically in Santa Barbara, where an Alzheimer’s Café launched in fall 2011.
Bartlett added that the Alzheimer’s Association will act as an advisor to the organizations hosting the cafés. Association representatives will be present at the gatherings to offer assistance.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia and the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.
For more information about the Alzheimer’s Café at Magnolia, call Margie Halsell at 310-6996.
Managing Editor Amy Asman compiled this week’s Community Corner. Send comments or ideas to the Sun via e-mail at aasman@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jan 19-26, 2012.
