LIMA, OH (WLIO) - Caregivers, family members, and community members met Saturday afternoon to learn more about a disease that impacts 1 in 3 seniors.
The annual Alzheimer's Community Forum had experts available to share information about local resources and give presentations on the realities of the disease.
Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's or another form of dementia is difficult, but there are lots of resources in Lima and online that can help. It's also important for those close to someone with the disease to remember to show them kindness, even if it seems like they don't understand.
"This disease, it affects the way that they think and the way that they behave. What makes them, them, is still there, just continue to treat them with love, and respect, and with empathy, even when it's frustrating, and even when maybe they can't communicate with you directly. Just still talk to them with love and they'll know you love them," said Marybeth Torsell, the program manager for the Northwest Ohio chapter of the Alzheimer's Association.
It might be hard to keep calm when someone has forgotten your name or can't complete basic tasks, but more stress can actually further harm someone with Alzheimer's.
"That can just help to speed up the decline of the brain that is already faltering and that has lost some of the ability to retain information, and so we want them to remain comfortable," explained Amy Fleming, the program director at Kessler Estates.
Experts also emphasized the importance of caregiver mental health, explaining that you can't help someone if you aren't okay yourself.
