Editorial: Call to arms in battle against dementia

If you don't know anyone suffering from dementia, it's safe to say that will change, likely very soon.

Declining cognitive abilities, most commonly caused by Alzheimer's disease, affect an estimated 230,000 people in Illinois and that is expected to increase by 13% by 2025, according to the latest Alzheimer's Association report.

Alzheimer's is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills and, eventually, the ability to carry out the simplest of tasks, experts say. It robs life from the afflicted, but it also takes a heavy toll on spouses, children, daughters- and sons-in-law and friends, the informal caregivers.

Because this insidious disease affects so many people and raises so many questions of how best to cope, some communities are banding together in a network called Dementia Friendly America to collaborate, provide information and awareness and share resources they develop. Elgin and Glencoe are the latest suburbs to join other members, including Grayslake, North Chicago/Lake County, Evanston, River Forest and Kankakee County. There's also been some interest from people in Deerfield and Naperville.

There is a very real and growing need for more suburbs to be part of this movement - more community involvement has the potential to produce more ideas and more ways to help.

"We are driving with people with dementia. We are shopping with them. We are going to the library with them," Gail Borden Public Library staff member Glenna Godinsky told our Elena Ferrarin. "It's a community issue.'

Library initiatives in the past year led to Elgin's inclusion. A dementia-friendly advisory council includes the library, the mayor, a law firm that works with elder law, home care providers, the office of state Sen. Cristina Castro, Advocate Sherman Hospital and local police and fire.

Offerings include "memory cafes" in English and Spanish at local restaurants and the library for people with dementia and their caregivers that provide guided, fun activities and a chance to meet others who share common experiences. The library also holds programs such as "fun and facts" and "cruisin' the country" at area senior living communities.

There's been dementia training for library staff that provided an overview of the types and causes of dementia, the behaviors people with dementia exhibit and communication strategies for those who interact with people with dementia. More awareness means creating a more welcoming and inclusive environment for people with dementia, who often become isolated, experts say.

And, that's just the effort in Elgin. Imagine the possibilities that could develop from an expanded network.