NACo Award

"REACHING BEYOND THE SHADOWS" DEMENTIA EDUCATION

Senior Citizen Services

We would all like to think that the golden years of retirement provide a well-deserved opportunity to pursue personal interests and hobbies. However, the truth is that a surprising number of senior citizens have a medical condition that causes dementia. In fact, it is estimated that up to ten percent of all people over the age of sixty-five (65) will experience a loss of memory, the ability to concentrate and to make reasonable decisions. Some will even experience severe personality changes.

A person with dementia may become disoriented and find themselves lost on their own street. They might misplace something valuable and then become convinced that they have been robbed. They may start to prepare dinner and then forget it cooking on the stove.

As the elderly population swells, so do the number of emergency runs that involve an individual with dementia.

These are not routine calls that can be dealt with traditionally. People with dementia can be very emotionally fragile - one wrong phrase or gesture could quickly cause a simple situation to escalate. Macomb County Department of Senior Citizen Services has responded to this community need by developing and delivering a training program especially for first responders.

"Reaching Beyond the Shadows" is a ninety-minute workshop that helps emergency personnel recognize when they are faced with a dementia-related situation. The workshop provides officers with tools and techniques that work to diffuse these delicate situations. And, because up to eighty-five percent of those with dementia are cared for by a relative at home, the workshop has equips police officers, firefighters and EMTs with information about the many resources available in the county to help caregivers cope.

Since it was launched last year, more than one thousand (1,000) first responders in the county have been trained. And, the word is out - the Michigan Secretary of State has requested training for office workers and police departments from as far away as Pennsylvania are calling to request a workshop.

Obviously, this is a program that is serving a very definite and universal need.