FORT SMITH -- Education is important for people with Alzheimer's and their caregivers.
Educating people about this disease and providing an activity for the area's aging population is the goal of an event taking place next week hosted by Baptist Health-Fort Smith, the Marvin Altman Fitness Center and the Arkansas branch of the Alzheimer's Association.
The event will include a presentation on healthy living for the brain and body as well as a low-impact exercise session for seniors.
The event is set for 10 to 11 a.m. Tuesday in the Suffield Education Center on the first floor of Baptist Health-Fort Smith, 1001 Townson Ave.
Jill Thompson, program director for the Alzheimer's Association, said the event is a good way for her organization to educate the local community. Events like this are funded through donations given during the group's annual Walk to End Alzheimer's fundraiser.
"We just had our Walk to End Alzheimer's two weeks ago, and now we want to give back and show the community where some of those funds go and show them this educational event around brain health," Thompson said.
Crystal Lougin, director of Baptist Health's inpatient geriatric behavioral health unit, said the River Valley region has a higher percentage of people than some other areas in regards to the number of Alzheimer's patients.
This larger number of patients, Lougin said, could be attributed to the amount of people from the baby-boomer generation living in Fort Smith and the surrounding cities.
""Several of our long-term care facilities have units geared toward caring for Alzheimer's patients," Lougin said. "Those units are specialty care units, so they have a higher sense of security in keeping those residents safe."
Initial symptoms of Alzheimer's, according to Lougin, include forgetting things, losing time and not remembering the date. Riskier results from these symptoms can come in the form of leaving the oven on or taking walks only to forget where you were going and get lost.
Lougin noted those with Alzheimer's can also start to see personality changes, with some family members telling her that their loved ones used to teach Sunday school and were now cursing like sailors.
"When there is an early onset diagnosis, or if there is a first time diagnosis, most people don't have much working knowledge about what to look forward to," Lougin said. "We really have to do a better job, as providers, of making sure families understand that there is no cure for Alzheimer's. Our goal is just to provide a better quality of life for their remaining time."
In addition to that education, organizations like the Alzheimer's Association help provide support for the caregivers of people with Alzheimer's, which is often times a member of the patient's family.
The association has three support groups in Fort Smith and Van Buren along with one statewide virtual group. These three support groups are helped along by six local support group facilitators, who volunteer their time to run the groups.
"It is a way for people to sort of be able to share the journey and the struggles or even the joys that they may be having with the loved one they are caring for, with other people that may have the same experience," Thompson said. "It is a way for them to learn from each other, whether that is learning strategies to take care of their loved ones or learning about resources in the community that might be helpful for them."
Thompson said those looking for more information on the disease, or local support groups and resources, can do so by going to the group's website.
Some Alzheimer's patients are taken care of at various local facilities such as Methodist Village Senior Living. The Fort Smith facility recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its park and advanced dementia sensory sanctuary.
The sanctuary is a facility for those with advanced dementia or Alzheimer's, providing a calming atmosphere that residents of the facility can explore through various senses, a news release from the facility states.
Sensory sanctuaries traditionally combine gentle light, movement, music and tactile objects to either stimulate or calm residents, according to Alzheimers.net.
Melissa Curry, CEO of Methodist Senior Village in Fort Smith, was at the ribbon cutting on Thursday and thanked The Methodist Foundation for Arkansas and The Degen Foundation. Each foundation donated $25,000 to fund the new sanctuary.
"We have already seen over 50% fewer falls, 62% fewer combative behaviors, better appetites and improved communication skills since the sensory sanctuary opened in July," Curry said.