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Elder rage common among Alzheimer's patients

By Teri Maddox

Belleville.com, March 14, 2003

Donna York, 68, of rural Collinsville said she spends a lot of time visiting her 73-year-old husband, Don, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 1992, at the Missouri Veterans Home in St. Louis.

Donna York remembers her husband, Don, as a kind, sensitive man who could cry just hearing a sad story on a TV newscast. Children were drawn to his twinkling eyes and Santa Claus-style beard.

But after Don York, now 73, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 1992, his personality changed. He became confused, agitated and even physically aggressive.

Several times, Don York woke up in the middle of the night and came after Donna with walking sticks and other objects. He insisted she wasn't his wife and wondered why she was in bed with him.

"I kept my jeans, my shoes, my cell phone and my car keys by my bed at all times," said Donna York, 68, a retired hospital auditor who lives in rural Collinsville. "I was ready to go."

The Yorks were experiencing what California author Jacqueline Marcell calls "elder rage," a tendency for some people with dementia to become frustrated and angry. They can't function as well as they used to. Their children want them to stop driving, cooking and living independently.

Marcell was in the metro-east this week, advising mental-health professionals on how to deal with elder rage. She spoke to more than 200 people Wednesday at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville.

Marcell called for earlier diagnosis of Alzheimer's and increased support services for caregivers. She noted dementia symptoms often can be slowed through proper treatment and medication.

"Most doctors say, 'They're old. They're senile. They're at the end of their life. There's nothing that can be done,'" Marcell said. "And that's not true. They're propagating a myth."

Marcell's visit was sponsored by Red Bud Human Service Center. The nonprofit organization provides information, counseling and other services in Randolph, Monroe and St. Clair counties.

Jodi Kranz coordinates the center's Mental Health and Aging Outreach Program. She wants to familiarize people with early signs of Alzheimer's and reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness.

"Significant memory loss is not a part of the normal aging process and neither is depression," Kranz said. "And both of these things are treatable. There are resources out there. People don't have to deal with this alone."

Marcell lists 10 signs of Alzheimer's in her book, "Elder Rage, or Take My Father ... Please! How to Survive Caring for Aging Parents" (Impressive Press, www.ElderRage.com, $19.95).

The list includes memory loss, difficulty with familiar tasks, disorientation, poor judgment, problems with language and abstract thinking, misplacement of objects, loss of initiative and change in mood or personality.

Not all people with dementia experience elder rage. Studies show 40 percent to 60 percent of Alzheimer's patients become agitated at some point.

"Five to 20 percent will become overly aggressive," Marcell said. "They're lashing out at things. It's very difficult to manage them."

Marcell speaks from experience. She left her job as a TV executive to care for her father, who developed a "Jekyll and Hyde" personality with verbal, physical and emotional outbursts.

Marcell eventually contacted the Alzheimer's Association, which proved to be a valuable resource. Doctors treated her father's depression and prescribed medication to slow his dementia and improve cognitive functioning.

Marcell helped herself by joining a caregivers support group. She also enrolled her parents in adult day care, which gave her private time to relax, socialize or run errands.

Donna York attended Marcell's lecture on Wednesday, but she already was an expert on elder rage. She took a crash course from her husband, Don.

"Not all Alzheimer's patients go through it, but my husband did," Donna York said. "And he was an extremely strong, 230-pound man, so that made it difficult for me."

Before Don's illness, the Yorks had nearly 40 good years together. They married in 1953 and reared five children in a Chicago suburb. Don worked for a company that refinished hardwood floors and striped basketball courts.

Don York began showing signs of dementia in the late 1980s. He got lost driving home from work, despite living in the same neighborhood for 30 years. He wasn't himself in social situations.

"If there was a large group of people or too much activity going on, he would either isolate himself at a workbench in the garage, or he would become very loud and upset," Donna York said. "One minute he would be holding a child, and the next minute he thought they were being too noisy or rowdy."

Don York's condition deteriorated gradually. He stopped working and driving. He couldn't recognize friends and family members and got angry when they insisted he knew them.

In 1999, the Yorks moved to Collinsville to be closer to some of their children. Later that year, Donna put Don in a nursing home. He now lives at Missouri Veterans Home in St. Louis.

Donna York volunteers in the Collinsville office of the Alzheimer's Association. She answers its hotline, prepares educational materials and distributes information at health fairs.

"It's been hard," Donna York said. "I went from having my own office and living a normal life to being almost nonfunctional. I never put on makeup (before Don went into a nursing home). I was lucky to wash my hair. I couldn't cook a meal. I barely remembered to eat. Emotionally, it just wipes you out.

"Then you find an Alzheimer's support group, and you go and cry.... But I've been blessed. I'm healthy. I'm fairly strong. I have a caring extended family. And I have a lot of people praying for me."

To reach Red Bud Human Service Center, call 282-6233. To reach the Collinsville office of the Alzheimer's Association, call 346-4073.

 


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