Going purple for Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month

Sunnybrook at Mt. Pleasant is going purple in honor of Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month.

The assisted living facility, which has a Memory Care Unit for residents with cognitive impairments, is having a little fun throughout the month of June as they fundraise for the Walk to End Alzheimers, slated to take place in October of this year.

Instead of the classic flamingo yard prank, Sunnybrook will be placing two purple spray-painted toilets on yards across the town, which people can pay different amounts to have it removed and placed in a friend's yard (called 'plumbing policies”). The fundraising kicked off on Thursday with the staff of Sunnybrook paying to place the toilet in front of Savannah Heights, a nursing home also located in Mt. Pleasant.

Sunnybrook's marketing director, Cody Flietner, said that while the 'You've Been Flushed” fundraiser is all in good fun, it supports an important cause which works toward creating a world without Alzheimer's or dementia.

'It's important to bring awareness. I'd like to see in my generation that we have a cure, that we can restore people's memories, that this wicked disease is something we don't have to worry about,” Flietner said.

The marketing director added the staff of Sunnybrook sees the hardship of dealing with Alzheimer's firsthand all the time.

'We see it with spouses, who are coming to us about warning signs and looking for support - they often get very emotional,” he said, 'We see it a lot in Memory Care where they have a loss of time and not knowing where they're at. I'm thankful they're here with others to lean on but I think of the people at home. It's really hard on spouses, emotionally and physically.”

Currently, Mt. Pleasant Sunnybrook's Memory Care Unit has eight residents, Flietner said. To help keep residents' minds active, Flietner said the staff at the unit are often playing memory games, which include flipping through books with old school Hollywood actors and musicians as well as listening to music from the residents' childhood. The staff also make sure to include activities that are familiar with the residents.

'The majority we have back there are women. A lot of them are farm girls. We just started gardening and planting, which brings them back to the days on the farm with their husbands or tending to the fields. It's really neat to see their eyes light up and smiles get bigger. It gives them a sense of purpose,” Flietner added.

Megan Pedersen, a program specialist with the Greater Iowa Alzheimer's Association Burlington office, echoed the importance of providing familiar activities.

'Say someone was a homemaker - allowing them to do things they did at home, to fold laundry or help with dishes, do things around the house they always did, will keep them busy and their mind active,” Pedersen said.

The program specialist also said one of the important steps to take to help with those dealing with cognitive issues is developing a routine and recognizing 'dementia is not the same for each person.”

'They might progress at a different pace or warning signs may be different,” Pedersen said.

The program specialist said her association promotes an overall healthy lifestyle, which can have an affect on brain function. This includes eating the right food, staying active and socially engaged - taking care of the body, mentally, physically and emotionally.

Pedersen also outlined common warning signs such as 'memory loss that disrupts day-to-day life,” losing the ability to retrace steps to find misplaced items as well as difficulty completing familiar tasks.

'Think of individuals who have always been neat and tidy, who keep their house looking clean and perfect. And when you walk in, the mail is piled up, laundry and dishes haven't been done - things they have been doing for their life and are not happening. It may mean something is going on,” she said.

When a family member or loved one begins to notice warning signs, the first step is generally contacting the individual's primary care provider and going in for a baseline cognitive exam, Pedersen added. Early detection can be critical because even though there is no current cure for Alzheimer's or dementia, medicine that is available prove to be more effective the earlier a person is diagnosed, the program specialist explained.

With June being Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month, Pedersen said it's important to bring awareness to the disease because it's important to show support, not only for those living with it but those who may be caring for loved ones.

'In Iowa 66,000 living with Alzheimer's or dementia. There are also 136,000 family caregivers, providing care for friends and family and they're all unpaid. It's important and affects many people in communities. This month is about showing support to all of them, raising awareness and continuing to work toward a world without Alzheimer's,” she said.