The diagnosis of an incurable and degenerative disease is a life-changer for which no one is prepared. It’s understandable that the diagnosed person immediately becomes the focus of everyone’s attention, but how does it affect the other family members? How does one find answers to so many questions about the disease? What should be done next? How does one re-organize the family’s dynamics and develop the strength to face what’s coming?

The nursing facility rarely is the first option. Families tend to keep the person at home as much as possible, and at the beginning of the disease, family members usually engage in the care of the patient. As time goes by, though, people tend to return to their routines, and one family member becomes “the official” caregiver. That’s when loneliness and the feeling of “nobody knows what I’m going through” take place.

According to a study published in the World Journal of Psychiatry (1), 1 in 3 caregivers of dementia patients develop symptoms of depression.

Currently, the US has more than 6 million people living with Alzheimer’s disease (2) (other dementia diseases are not included in this number), which makes depression among caregivers a silent epidemic.

But not only caregivers are deeply affected by the occurrence of dementia. Family members who move their impaired loved ones to a facility also have a hard time dealing with guilt, grief, and making peace with themselves (3).

To support the Des Moines Area community, Via Health Services Fleur Heights hosts monthly in-person Alzheimer’s Association® support group meetings.

Guided by a trained individual, the meetings are a valuable opportunity for the family members of dementia patients to interact with people who are facing similar situations, get reliable information to guide their decisions, and develop the emotional strength they need to go through challenging times.

We encourage the whole community affected by dementia to participate.

Alzheimer’s Association® Supporting Group Meetings at Via Health Services:

When: the third Tuesday of every month, at 5 p.m.

Where: 4911 SW 19th St, Des Moines, IA 50315

For more information, contact Janiece de Jonge: jdejonge@viahealthservices.com

• Depression among caregivers of patients with dementia: Associative factors and management approaches – PMC (nih.gov)
• https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figures#:~:text=More%20than%206%20million%20Americans%20of%20all%20ages%20have%20Alzheimer’s,living%20with%20Alzheimer’s%20in%202022.
• https://www.alz.org/media/greatermissouri/guilt_and_grief_when_moving_your_loved_one_to_a_care_facility.pdf