Alzheimer's program gives caregivers a break

Sharon Arkin Arizona Daily Wildcat

Alzheimer's patients often need round-the-clock care, and many families choose not to use adult day care systems but to instead have a family member take care of the patient full time.

Sharon Arkin, a University of Arizona post-doctorate student has developed a program to help these caregivers have some time for themselves, while providing quality care for the patient.

Alzheimer's is a disease that slowly causes memory loss. Simple, everyday tasks the person used to perform are often forgotten, as well as the names of friends and family members. There are about four million people who have Alzheimer's in the United Sta tes, according to the Southern Arizona Alzheimer's Association.

The program arranges for the caregivers of Alzheimer's patients to spend a week participating in stimulating activities at certain Elderhostel centers, while the patients are taken care of by a local adult day care center.

If a student at the university has a family member or friend with Alzheimer's disease, the program can also bring that person and caregiver to Tucson for a week-long vacation, said Arkin. The family would have to document that the patient could handle sta ying in an adult day care center.

"Most people feel like they have to do everything themselves, and they never get to take a break or do something that stimulates them," Arkin said.

Elderhostel is an organization that provides learning vacations for seniors at areas around the world. It publishes programs by state, each of which offers a six day vacation, including room, board and tuition at a local college residence hall or hotel, f or a cost of about $400. Programs range from wine-tasting to local culture to bird-watching. Elderhostel has committed 12 full scholarships for Alzheimer's caregivers to attend programs.

The program is presented by an alliance of Elderhostel, local adult day care centers and Alzheimer's Association chapters in Tucson and Baltimore, Md. Arkin also received an $8,300 grant from the Retirement Research Foundation.

Arkin said she developed the idea because her mother has Alzheimer's disease, and while she was still in the early stages of the disease, Arkin saw how readily her mother adapted to local centers to which she brought her. She thought that other patients m ight adapt as well, if given the opportunity.

"There was no treatment available at that time, and I started developing things on my own, and I thought that I couldn't be the only person who wanted a chance to do some things with my mother and on my own," she said.

Arkin said, however, the program is having trouble recruiting participants. She has the money from the grant, which will be used to subsidize costs for participants, but has not had anyone sign up for the program since it started in August.

"I think people may be so overwhelmed by their caregiving responsibilities that they don't want to or don't think they have time to participate," Arkin said.

Participants from Arizona can choose the Tucson program, run through the YWCA Elderhostel, or a Baltimore option. In Tucson, classes and field trips focus on southwestern history and culture.

Arkin said she is also willing to allow those interested to attend a program in Baltimore, where scholarships are available through Elderhostel covering room, board and tuition, worth about $700, are available.

Participants are asked to pay for the adult day care services, though, which run about $40 a day. Grant money can be used to subsidize airfare and day care costs, if necessary.

The Baltimore option offers three different programs, one run by the Peabody Conservatory of Music of Johns Hopkins University, one run by the Culinary Institute of Baltimore and one by the Baltimore Hebrew College.

Students wanting to help a family member can contact Arkin for more information on how to invite them and their caregiver to Tucson to participate in the program.

For more information, or to find out how to apply for the program, contact Arkin at 760-5595.