PRAIRIE VILLAGE, Kan. – Those who love and care for someone battling Alzheimer’s have a new way for the public to step up, to support patients and their caregivers. Tuesday is a day of advocacy.
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Local advocate and caregiver Nina Westvold said required training would be a game-changer for people who have dementia and Alzheimer’s disease and need to call for help.
“First it’s a patience game because they will ask the same question over and over and over. What time’s the Chiefs game? What time’s the Chiefs game? What time’s the Chiefs game?” Westvold said.
“And you don’t want to say ‘Oh, you already asked me that,’ because that just aggravates them and doesn’t do you any good.”
She has a loved one living with Alzheimer’s disease. She’s learning how to handle this new normal with care and respect.
Westvold knows she’s not alone. In 2020, about 55,000 Kansans were living with Alzheimer’s disease. By 2025, the Alzheimer’s Association said that number is expected to increase to nearly 62,000.