Confronting the realities of Alzheimer's

In my memory, my Grandma Mitchell was the epitome of a Norman Rockwell portrait.

Pleasantly plump, she mostly wore pastel print cotton shirtwaist dresses. Her long gray hair was neatly pulled back and rolled up along the nape of her neck. Her classic "granny" glasses weren't fashionable back then.

The mother of nine children didn't drive a car, but she ran the farm in Battle Ground, Ind., while my grandfather traveled as an agricultural economist for Purdue.

When she died in 1986 at age 85, every one of us 25 grandchildren thought we were her favorite. I'll always remember her tender hugs, her warm smiles and her aprons!

I also remember her souvenir salt and pepper shaker collection that reflected my grandparents' travels, filling the large curio cabinet in her dining room. My treasured keepsake is a set shaped like a roasted turkey (salt) atop a yellow platter (pepper).

During many summer vacations, we spent more time in her kitchen than any other room, though the "south room" was my favorite, adorned with dozens of framed family photographs.

I can place the layout of the kitchen, situated around a large dinner table. I remember spinning their ever-present tabletop wooden Lazy Susan with wedge-shaped bowls that fit around a center bowl for side dishes and condiments.

I can still feel the warmth of standing next to her in her large kitchen with two stoves, cooking up meals for family, friends and hired hands who were always welcome.

The words on a plate hanging on the wall were inviting, too: "Come in, sit down, converse. My house doesn't always look like this; sometimes it's even worse."

Her farmhouse was always tidy. Her biggest complaint was the dust that rolled in during the summer when cars sped along the gravel road out front. I dusted.

Different memories

When my younger cousin Candyce Krumwiede and I went walking the other day, we reminisced about Grandma Mitchell.

Bev Eigenberg, whose husband, Harry, died of Alzheimer's disease in March, had invited Naperville resident Dr. Raj C. Shah, medical director of Rush Memory Clinic at Rush University Medical Center, to provide a program about Alzheimer's for our Rotary club on Wednesday.

Shah enlightened us about the benefits, despite the stigma, of early diagnosis.

Our grandmother died from Alzheimer's, too. I wondered what Candyce remembered.

Unfortunately, individuals who suffer from dementia and late-stage Alzheimer's can grow increasingly frustrated and aggressive from loss of memory.

The fatal disease, Candyce said, diminished our grandmother's desire to do basic things. During her last years of independent living, she struggled with personal hygiene. She let her good eating habits go and she became frail.

That's when she needed a home in an Alzheimer's care facility.

At that time, we lived in New Jersey. When we came back to Indiana for family reunions, our grandmother seemed to rise to the occasion, having "good days" when I visited.

Unpredictable behaviors and loss of body functions slowly and painfully took away her character and capacity to connect.

Candyce remembers many visits, only to be greeted by faded blank stares. "Grandma didn't even know I was there."

Yet several months before our grandmother died, Candyce developed her most cherished memory of their special relationship when she took her 18-month-old daughter to visit.

"I put Laura on her great-grandmother's lap and she gently petted her," Candyce said. "To my surprise, she looked up and said, 'She's a good baby.'"

Volunteers needed

At Rotary, Shah told us about limited successes with some drug treatments in victims with mild to moderate Alzheimer's.

Currently, however, no treatment exists to cure, delay or stop the progression of Alzheimer's.

As many as 5.2 million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer's - about 500,000 in Illinois.

Volunteers are needed for clinical trials and research studies. For information about opportunities at Rush, Shah urges individuals to visit www.rush.edu/radc or to call (312) 942-8264.

As for tips to help maintain memory, Shah said to make "good lifestyle choices."

Exercise the mind and body, keep socially engaged, eat healthful foods, reduce stress and treat depression. If you're on medication, know what you're taking.

Memory Walk

The Alzheimer's Association - Greater Illinois Chapter will host the 2008 Naperville Memory Walk slated to step off at 9 a.m. Sept. 28 from the Riverwalk Grand Pavilion.

To register for the 3.2-mile walk, which is wheelchair and stroller accessible, call (847) 933.2413 or visit http://napervillememorywalk.kintera.org/2008.

Remember. It's a start.

Stephanie Penick writes about Naperville on Tuesdays in Neighbor. Contact her at spennydh@aol.com.