There’s a lot to caring for older relatives. Most people think they are alone or and this can be even worse, they think they have to do it alone because they owe it to Mom or Dad or Aunt Jane. The truth is the old joke about getting old not being for sissies isn’t much of a joke. It’s tough on the person who seemingly suddenly needs help and it’s tough on the younger generation while they try to figure out how to offer help without injuring the pride of someone they love.
That’s where a free community panel on Nov. 5 comes in. Local senior experts will answer a variety of questions and be available after the presentation for additional questions from members of the community. Need to know what resources are available for someone with dementia? Come to the forum. Need to know if your parents have to lose their home to gain access to some benefits? Come to the forum. Need to know how to help your parents stay in their home as they age? Come to the forum.
Local experts will speak on topics including: elder law, Medicaid Eligibility, geriatric care management, medical alert systems, resources for aging and long term care, in-home care and senior living facilities.
The community forum, which is sponsored by Rehmke & Flynn, PLLC, Elder Law Attorneys, Pierce County Aging and Disability Services, Elder Assessment & Referral Services and Cascade Park Communities, will be held at the Soundview Building, 3602 Pacific Avenue in Tacoma from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Refreshments will be served. For questions, contact Jonete Rehmke at (253) 460-3190.
Dr. Mike Spiger unloads a temporary storage container of larger medical equipment to prepare for shipping the equipment to Morocco. Photo by Bonnie Dickson
Things, as we all know, get improved or replaced on a fairly regular basis. The cars we all drive don’t suddenly expire at the end of four years but many people choose to replace them with a newer model, different color paint or improved options after just that short period of time. If we want to get a new vehicle, we take the old vehicle if it’s still in good condition to a car dealer and we “trade it in†for the newer vehicle. Well think about this. What happens to things that aren’t quite as fun when the people who own them want something new? What happens for instance when the dental chair is tired and doesn’t look so good with the new carpeting or wall color? What happens when catheters, yes catheters aren’t used and a doctor retires and closes shop? What happens when something that was manual comes in a new electric version? What happens is it goes to Gateway Medical Alliance (GMA). Or at least it probably should.
In the early 50s, Michael Spiger was an Air Force brat whose father was stationed in Morocco. He developed a love for Morocco that continued into adulthood and visited it several times. There’s a medical need in Morocco but the country’s laws don’t allow foreigners to practice medicine there. In 1997, Spiger, now Dr. Spiger, collaborated with several Moroccan friends to send a shipping container of medical supplies and equipment over.
Spiger quickly realized that managing this new operation required full-time dedication and so in 1995, Spiger retired and he and his wife, Anne, launched what would become GMA. They ran their operation out of their home for 10 years but now own an office on Canyon Road in Puyallup.
About 20 dedicated volunteers, mostly retirees, meet at a warehouse once a week and do inventory processes; sorting and packing donated medical supplies. “It doesn’t come like this,†said Del Platter, meaning the neatly stacked, sorted and shrink wrapped pallets that line the warehouse. He and his wife Irma have volunteered at GMA for 11 years. “Mike and Anne came to our church and asked for volunteers for Morocco. We got stuck in our hearts.â€Â He added, “We went to Morocco once and worked at the other end. It’s really an eye opener. I think everybody should go overseas once.â€Â On their trip they saw a little girl with disabilities. “We stopped at an intersection and interviewed the mother. You looked at the little girl and you just…†he sighed and held his heart, “melt. That trip was very satisfying. The only trouble is it gets in your blood and you want to keep going back.â€
On this end, once they have around 900 cartons, the volunteers pack a 40-foot shipping container to send to Morocco. Each container contains roughly $300,000 worth of donated equipment and supplies. GMA ships a container every three months.
GMA partners with Moroccans in everything. They work with charitable organizations over there to distribute the equipment and in the process the organization builds relationships. “We want to break down stereotypes that Muslims have toward westerners and in turn we get to learn about them,†said Spiger. “It really is a people-to-people organization.
“We love them. We want them to know we care. We act as a catalyst to improve the lives of the poor and the underprivileged,†he said. “These gifts go to university hospitals where we can bring poor people to them (the hospitals) and they do surgery on them.â€Â In addition to shipping supplies and equipment, GMA sponsors physical therapy centers, short-term dental clinics, community health education, fire fighter exchanges and share medical expertise with teaching hospitals.
While the majority of their equipment and supplies come from hospitals and government organizations, GMA also has needs for adult diapers, bandage materials, the previously mentioned catheters and other personal supplies. “The high tech stuff can’t go out to the outskirts ‘cause they don’t have facilities,†said Del Platter.
“We like wheelchairs and walkers particularly,†added Spiger. They also have a relationship with Children’s Therapy Center in Puyallup and “they give us children’s equipment when they (the children) outgrow them.
If you would like to learn more about GMA, go to their website, www.gatewayma.org.
One in eight older Americans has Alzheimer’s disease. According to a special report on Alzheimer’s disease put out by the Alzheimer’s Association, the number of Americans with Alzheimer’s disease will escalate rapidly in the next 10 to 20 years as the baby boomer generation ages. And while Alzheimer’s disease was first identified more than 100 years ago, it hasn’t been until the last 30 years that there has been any momentum in the research for symptoms, causes, risk factors or treatments. Which leaves the 14.9 million unpaid caregivers with few resources.
Artist and author, Dan Koffman is trying to change that. Koffman’s father had Alzheimer’s and his experience watching the toll on his mother while she cared for his father eventually led to his publishing several picture books designed to provide engagement and conversation with individuals with dementia. Each book includes large pictures of easily recognized objects (fruits or hand tools for instance) with the goal of stimulating communication. Koffman continued that theme in his latest book, Life in the US Military, which focuses on veterans with memory loss. Over 600,000 military veterans have memory loss. His latest book is a partnership with the Ladies Auxiliary VFW and includes familiar military themes such as equipment, a salute and vehicles.
Koffman hopes to write 30 different titles in all. When he’s not working on that project, he’s on the web with a weekly webcast called Operation: Never Forget! Which focuses on veterans with memory loss and creating a support structure for caregivers. To find him online go to webtalkradio.net/shows/operation-never-forget. To learn more about his books or to order one, go to www.lifeintheusmilitary.com. The book can be ordered online or a mail in order form is available for download.
Researchers at VA Puget Sound Health Care System have recently received widespread national coverage about their current Alzheimer’s research. Dr. Suzanne Craft, a UW professor and Veteran’s Administration researcher with the study is cautiously optimistic about their findings. The study has concentrated on research of a direct delivery system that provides insulin to the brain of study participants through an intranasal administration. While the study results have been quite positive, Craft emphasizes that the study has so far been limited and needs larger scale testing over a longer period of time. The current pilot study involved a sample of only 104 participants over a four month period. Craft hopes to get funding for a larger study and begin additional research by next summer. She puts the timeframe for knowing whether the direct insulin approach is a viable therapy for Alzheimer’s at three to four years.
The study results were published this month by the journal Archives of Neurology.
There’s a lot to caring for older relatives. Most people think they are alone or and this can be even worse, they think they have to do it alone because they owe it to Mom or Dad or Aunt Jane. The truth is the old joke about getting old not being for sissies isn’t much of a joke. It’s tough on the person who seemingly suddenly needs help and it’s tough on the younger generation while they try to figure out how to offer help without injuring the pride of someone they love.
