How Alzheimer's Is Affecting Our Lives
Woodburn Independent, Senior Life - Feb. 2002
by John Baker

It's a world of confusion and forgetfulness, a place where time and memory simply fade and condense, and Erik Berkey has seen it over and over.

Alzheimer's is a disease that scares those who don't have it, bends the resolve of those who provide care, and simply erases much of the present-day personality of the person who has it.

Berkey, who visited care centers when he was young, knows the sting of each situation and resolved long ago to try and help. He opened Country Side Living in Woodburn over three years ago, and opened a second center in Canby about three months ago.

"I think it's a pretty prevalent thing," said Berkey. "nearly 56 percent of the people who turn 85 will get it. Understanding the disease is the toughest thing about it."

And, said Berkey, if you think you can bring an Alzheimer's patient back into your world on a regular basis, you're going to find frustration.

"It's toughest for the spouse who knew them as they used to be," he said. "It's very stressful for the spouse in terms of caregiving. In fact, I've found that a lot of times that it's the caregiving spouse who ends up passing away first. There's just a tremendous amoutn of stress involved in being a caregiver to an Alzheimer's patient."

That's a point that Dr. Frank Golden, of Woodburn, agrees with wholeheartedly. "Biggest issue is the caregiver," said Golden. "It puts an incredible stress on the caregiver to take care of someone with memory loss. You have to deal with agitation, frustration, sleep deprivation, it's a very big load to carry."

"The key," said Berkey, "is to enter into their world. If they think I'm Joe from 50 years ago, I'm going to role play and listen to them. Basically, you enter their world. Don't expect them to come back to this world."

Berkey said that when dealing with Alzheimer's patients, he has found that when they drift back, they usually land in the 6-to-16 age range.

Berkey said that studies show nearly 20 perent of the people who get Alzheimer's will get it between the ages of 78 and 84. He advises that children and spouses keep tabs on each other as they age, and that short-term memory loss is a good indicator that somehting may be developing.

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