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Dementia Connection of Havasu
It is our mission to provide education, resources and support to individuals, loved ones, caregivers and professionals affected by Alzheimer's and other dementias in our community.
Roberta Bayles
I am a retired R.N. and owe my excellent clinical training to Presbyterian-University Hospital in Pittsburgh, where I was born and raised. I am one of four girls, and all four are registered nurses.
After working for 6 years in Family Practice, I spent the next 40 years with a focus on Long Term Care and education, working in 3 states. Before retirement, I was blessed to work my last three years in Hospice Care.
In 2013 my husband and I relocated to Lake Havasu full time to care for my father-in-law, who had Dementia. I joined Dementia Connection of Havasu that year, and have been a volunteer for the last 9 years, focusing primarily on facilitating Support Groups, and offering education on the journey through Dementia. I also joined the Virtual Dementia Tour team, helping to provide the “Walk in their shoe experience.
I have been married for 53 years to my husband, Jim. We have two daughters, and five grandchildren – two in Phoenix and 3 in Missouri. In our spare time, which sometimes isn’t much with volunteering, we like to travel to camp. I sing in two choirs and enjoy sewing and crocheting, as well as church activities.
My incentive for volunteering with Dementia Connection, is being able to offer support and education, based on my nursing experience, to those who are on the journey through Dementia; and as Teepa Snow says, to encourage a Positive Approach to care.
Beth Biehn MSW Facilitator Care Giver Support Group
When dementia strikes, it affects the whole community, not just the individual. Support Group provides a confidential setting for round table discussion, which allows attendees to share their experiences, learn new coping skills, and help others, while helping themselves.
Virtual Dementia Tour
Learning to create a positive environment for those with dementia for those with dementia can only come from attempting to walk in their shoes.
This 30 minute tour will help you to instill hope in professional and family caregivers, providing them with a tool to move from sympathy to empathy and to better understand the behaviors and needs of their loved ones and patients.
Appointment are required, please call (928) 453-8190
JIM ORTH FACILITATOR VIRTUAL DEMENTIA TOUR
We use patented sensory tools and instruction designed by Second Wind Dreams. The tour enables caregivers to experience for themselves a “walk in the shoes” of a person with dementia, and the physical and mental challenges which they face on a daily basis. The experience increases awareness for the caregiver to provide better person-centered care.
About Dementia - Definition
Dementia is a general term that describes a group of symptoms-such as loss of memory, judgment, language, complex motor skills, and other intellectual function-caused by the permanent damage or death of the brain’s nerve cells, or neurons.
Although Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia in persons over the age of 65, it represents about 60 percent of all dementias.
Other causes of dementia include, but are not limited to vascular disease, caused by stroke or blockage of blood supply to the brain, dementia with Lewy bodies, excessive alcohol consumption, head trauma, and in some cases, frontotemporal dementia in younger age groups.
The clinical symptoms and the progression of dementia vary, depending on the type of disease causing it, and the location and number of damaged brain cells. Some types progress slowly over years, while others may result in sudden loss of intellectual function.
Each type of dementia is characterized by different pathologic, or structural, changes in the brain, such as an accumulation of abnormal plaques and tangles in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, and abnormal tau protein in individuals with frontotemporal dementia.
Alzheimer's/Dementia
Although every case of Alzheimer’s disease is different, experts have identified common warning signs of the brain disease. Remember, Alzheimer’s disease is not a normal part of aging, and it is important to look for signs that might indicate Alzheimer’s disease versus basic forgetfulness or other conditions. With Alzheimer’s disease, these symptoms gradually increase and become more persistent.
If someone is exhibiting these symptoms, the person should check out his or her concerns with a healthcare professional. Awareness of these warning signs is not a substitute for a consultation with a primary care provider or other qualified healthcare professional.
Typical Warning Signs May Include
- Memory loss, especially of recent events, names, placement of objects, and other new information
- Confusion about time and place
- Struggling to complete familiar actions, such as brushing teeth or getting dressed
- Trouble finding the appropriate words, completing sentences, and following directions and conversations
- Poor judgment when making decisions
- Changes in mood and personality, such as increased suspicion, rapid and persistent mood swings, withdrawal, and disinterest in usual activities
- Difficulty with executive functions, such as balancing a checkbook or other tasks involving numbers.
Diagnosis
- Clinicians can now diagnose Alzheimer’s disease with up to 90 percent accuracy. But it can only be confirmed by an autopsy, during which pathologists look for the disease’s characteristic plaques and tangles in brain tissue.
- Clinicians can diagnose “probable” Alzheimer’s disease by taking a complete medical history and conducting lab tests, a physical exam, brain scans and neuro-psychological tests that gauge memory, attention, language skills and problem-solving abilities.
- Proper diagnosis is critical since there are dozens of other causes of memory problems. Some memory problems can be readily treated, such as those caused by vitamin deficiencies or thyroid problems. Other memory problems might result from causes that are not currently reversible, such as Alzheimer’s disease.
- The sooner an accurate diagnosis of “probable” Alzheimer’s disease is made, the easier it is to manage symptoms and plan for the future.