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Elder rage common among
Alzheimer's patients
By Teri
Maddox
Belleville.com,
March 14, 2003
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.
Copyright
© 2002 Global Action on Aging
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