Hope: On the topic of dementias...

Alzheimer Disease and Dementias...

Off Topic -  On Target?

'It is my contention that a well rounded, informed, educated police officer can serve society better is he or she is knowledgeable and caring about many facets of people lives including health issues: alcoholism, loneliness and dementias to name but three...' JJH  

This week the Ottawa Citizen's headline shouted out about the noticeable increase in dementias among Canadians. Coincidentally, on the same day as the newspaper barked its alarm, a vet friend called me to say that his wife was a patient of dementia. 

The Ottawa Citizen's newspaper article and the phone call from my friend caused to reflect on my experiences with Alzheimer's disease and dementias.

My mind rolled back many years to my days in Maple Ridge Detachment (1967 to 1970) . One morning, I was asked by Corporal Frank Scotti to fetch a 'Warrant of Committal' then drive to a farmhouse near the Haney/Mission, BC border to arrest an elderly lady who required hospital confinement and medical care.

I knew she lived alone and I can recall entering her home that morning. She was in bed and clothed but she was very reluctant to tag along with me.  I sat on her bed and we talked and talked. More accurately, she talked. I coaxed.  Eventually, the old woman tired and she allowed me to carry her into the police car. By mid morning I had turned her over to medical people at Essondale Hospital -- the Female Chronic Unit for Mental Health and Addition Services for BC -- inside Coquitlam, BC.

Many, many months passed and unexpectedly one day I spotted the old woman shopping. I was a passer-by. I was curious and I watched. I was in awe over her improved health condition and her ability to interact sensibly with sales people and the cashier. The woman whom I watched in the store acted very differently than the old woman whom I had to arrest months earlier.

Later, at the Haney Hospital,  I was told about the medical advances made in the field of psychiatry and medications. My encounter with the old woman and the wonderful treatment which she had received gave me inspiration and hope and a life long respect for doctors who practice psychiatry.

A years or so before I left the Force in 2001,  I had been 'scouted' by a very well known, generous and historical 'St. Patrick's Home' for the elderly in Ottawa, ON. To be honest, it was my wife who made the connections --  the people whom she linked up with were not corporate contract lawyers but instead were caring clergy nun's. 

It was at St. Pat's Home over the span of ten years of volunteer work  that I met hundreds of people with various dementias. I remained encouraged at the level of activity which people can do while having dementia. 

Patients of dementia can receive wonderful, loving care and treatment if they have been properly diagnosed. Family members can also receive education, training and tips which help the patient as well as themselves. 

In short, the world has changed, research has advanced and more is known about treatment methods for dementia patients. 

I recommend reading:  'The 36 Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for People who Have Alzheimer Disease, Related Dementias, and Memory Loss by Nanch L. Mace, M. A., and Peter V. Rabins, M. D., M. H. H.

'Maintain Our Memories'

J. J. Healy,

Reg.#23685