Glenwood City Fire Department and EMS receive dementia training

By Cara L. Dempski

GLENWOOD CITY — A representative of the St. Croix County Aging and Disability Resource Center presented a dementia training session to the Glenwood City Fire Department and EMS services at the fire hall on December 13.

The training was part of a state initiative to assist people with dementia diagnoses with remaining active in their communities because they feel supported, accepted, and useful. Part of the session included how best to interact with people with dementia in emergency situations, knowledge that is useful for firefighters and EMTs.

The event was also the brainchild of Glenwood City High School senior, Rebecca Moll, as part of her social issues senior project. Moll was looking for resources and education on how to turn Glenwood City into a dementia-friendly community.

According to Nancy Abrahamson, who is a dementia care specialist with the St. Croix County ADRC, the disease could have serious economic repercussions for many people in the United States.

“Dementia is going to bankrupt our nation,” Abrahamson said at the beginning of her presentation. “Right now, family caregivers spend the equivalent of $470 billion on care and services.”

Abrahamson said with the nationwide shortage of health care workers, the economic and emotional drain on families is only going to get worse. She was quick to note that if not for family caregivers, there would be many people with dementia in need of housing and care.

The presenter acknowledged dementia is a disease that strikes fear into many.

“It’s one of those diseases that is scary to a lot of people because it effects the brain,” Abrahamson. “Unlike a broken leg, there are no visible signs. It’s hard to know if someone really has memory problems, or if something else is going on.”

There are currently 1,200 people in St. Croix County with diagnoses of dementia, and there are likely many more who are undiagnosed and will never be connected to free services.

Definition

Dementia is an umbrella term for a wide range of symptoms associated with memory decline and other thinking skills that is severe enough to impact daily life. It can affect recent memory, language, visuospatial functioning (ability to visually perceive objects and spaces), and executive functioning (planning ability).

Abrahamson said there are over 70 forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s Disease, Lewy Body dementia, Multiple Sclerosis and Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.

The disease strikes more than just elderly people. There are a growing number of people receiving diagnoses in their 30s, 40s, and 50s. Up to 70 percent of people living with dementia live in the community instead of a care facility, and can live well with the support of family, friends, and community members.

Common signs of dementia include memory loss that disrupts daily life, challenges in planning or solving problems, difficulty completing familiar tasks, confusion about time or place, trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships, new problems with words, misplacing items or not being able to retrace steps, changes in judgment, withdrawal from activities, and personality or mood changes.

Abrahamson said if someone notices two or three of any of the signs listed above, they should see a doctor. She also said the younger a person is, the more quickly dementia progresses.

“If you are diagnosed with it, you want to be about 80 years old, because then it moves much more slowly,” Abrahamson stated.

KISS

The trainer said the best way to establish a smooth interaction with a person with dementia is to “keep it simple and slow,” or KISS. That means interactions should be calm, and people should approach those with dementia calmly and with a positive manner.

Abrahamson also said too much stimuli overwhelms those with dementia, blunting their discrimination skills. Asking too many questions or giving too many directions at one time could create a feeling of being attacked in the person with dementia, which could lead to an unsafe condition in an emergency situations.

Those with dementia tend to react strongly to body language, including facial expression. Abrahamson said it is best to establish positive rapport with the person by keeping eye contact, nodding in approval, and being mindful of your posture.

For a safe interaction, effort should be made to minimize distractions, attract the person with dementia’s attention before touching them if it is necessary to do so, and speak naturally and with respect. Those interacting with people with dementia should be attentive and understanding and be patient.

Glenwood City connection

Abrahamson shared after the presentation that she was contacted by Glenwood City High School senior Becca Moll in September regarding information about making Glenwood City a dementia-friendly community.

Moll, like her classmates, needs to complete a “Contemporary Social Issues” project as part of her social issues coursework. Seniors at the school are required to develop a project about a social issue that results in a final paper. 

Glenwood City teacher Brandon Kieper explained that students complete a senior capstone project, which includes an in-depth research paper, a 15 to 20 minute presentation to a panel of three evaluators, 20 hours of community service, and a mentor relationship requiring a student to reach out to a professional in a field related to his or her topic.

Kieper further explained the topics covered are of the students’ own choosing and cover a wide span of relevant, modern issues that are local and/or global in scale. He said the project is an opportunity for students to dig into a topic that interests them and often reflects the students’ goals for their adult lives.

Moll is a certified nursing assistant who has ample opportunity to see how dementia impacts the lives of not only those with dementia, but families and friends as well. Her CSI project arose from her passion for her work and her love of people.

“Dementia is a scary topic no one likes to talk about, and I wanted to break those boundaries,” Moll stated. “Nancy and I both know how important it is to help someone with dementia, but it is just as important to teach others how to help.”

According to Abrahamson, Moll contacted her because she is the St. Croix County dementia specialist. Moll chose dementia as her subject because of a projected 30 percent increase in diagnosis between now and the year 2050. 

Together, Abrahamson and Moll determined Glenwood City would be an excellent community to make more dementia friendly, so Moll asked for more information to share with people in the city. Moll then went out and started knocking on doors to share information with the residents of Glenwood City.

Abrahamson said she and Moll speak frequently about what to do and say in certain situations or hits roadblocks with some people. She has also provided Moll with printed and verbal information to share with community members.

“I have been impressed with her (Moll’s) commitment and follow-through on this project,” Abrahamson said. “The amazing numbers at the fire hall on December 13, with twice the number expected in attendance.”

If anyone would like more information about dementia, they are welcome to contact Nancy Abrahamson at the ADRC of St. Croix County. She can be reached by email at nancy.abrahamson@co.saint-croix.wi.us, or via telephone at 715-381-4411.