Metrowest communities boost services for those with dementia

Mass Innovations, from The Beacon

More than 5 million Americans are living with the most common form of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and nearly 60 percent of those with dementia live in their own communities. One in seven live alone.

With these numbers projected to rise in the coming decades, three communities are teaming up with a local elder services nonprofit to bring a successful model for dementia-friendly communities, touted at the White House Conference on Aging earlier this year, here to Massachusetts.

Hudson, Marlborough and Northborough are using a grant of nearly $20,000 secured by BayPath Elder Services from the MetroWest Health Foundation to institute the “Minnesota model,” which takes a holistic approach to supporting residents with dementia.

For instance, bank tellers, waiters, store cashiers, attorneys and other businesspeople can receive training on how to make interactions easier for people with dementia. Trainees learn how to ask yes-or-no questions and keep explanations short and simple. Police officers, firefighters and first responders can undergo similar training.

“Memory cafés” can offer a social setting for those with dementia and their caregivers to meet and connect, and other organized activities can help people stay active in the community. Easy access to public transportation with clear signage is also critical to preventing those with dementia from feeling stuck in their homes.

More than 30 communities in Minnesota are using this model, which was brought to the attention of Christine Alessandro, executive director at BayPath, by Marlborough attorney Arthur Bergeron.

“We had been talking about dementia-friendly communities for a couple of years and he had been very interested in the project they were doing in Minnesota,” Alessandro said. “I said, ‘When I find a funder that I can align with their priorities, certainly I’ll apply.’”

MetroWest Health Foundation’s grant targeted reducing social isolation — one of the major challenges for those with dementia — and improving communities for older adults and the elderly. The grant has funded a part-time coordinator to oversee the process in Hudson, Marlborough and Northborough.

“I’m excited that this program is going to bring stakeholders from across Marlborough together to spread awareness about Alzheimer’s-related dementias,” said Mayor Arthur Vigeant in a statement. “We are going to educate city personnel and first responders and inform caregivers about resources available to help them.”

Senior center directors Janice Long of Hudson, Kelly Burke of Northborough and Trish Pope from Marlborough, along with Alessandro and Bergeron, visited Minnesota in September to learn more about how the model works. Long said she was struck by the enthusiasm to increase awareness about dementia, which can carry a stigma and is spoken about in hushed tones.

“I think that’s the most important thing, to bring awareness and sensitivity to this disease, not only for the person but the family, because it’s so isolating,” Long said. “They usually withdraw because they recognize that something is wrong and people are uncomfortable with them.

“We want everyone to feel valued and respected, and that’s what a dementia-friendly community is: it’s inclusive, it’s capable, and we want to be part of that initiative, because the numbers are increasing.”

Marlborough, like many cities and towns, has seen a spike in its senior population, with a 25 percent increase in just the past three years, Pope said.

Action teams are now being formed in each of the three communities, with members representing various sectors, both public and private, all using a survey toolkit developed by the Minnesota collaborative that created the dementia-friendly community model. Using the toolkit and the data it gathers, each team will identify the strengths already in the community, and where it could improve.

Alessandro stressed that “this is a grassroots project,” not one directed by BayPath.

The three communities are contiguous but different, meaning a variety of strategies can be developed that overlap. Ideas could also be adopted from other communities that have dementia-friendly programs, although not necessarily a comprehensive and holistic approach. For example, Brookline’s I’m Still Here Foundation, previously ARTZ (Artists for Alzheimer’s), began years ago bringing people with Alzheimer’s and dementia to museums, movies and cultural centers.

Initiatives have continued to grow in Brookline, which participated in a broader World Health Organization initiative called Age-Friendly Cities and Towns, according to Council on Aging Director Ruthann Dobek. In addition to social programs designed for those with dementia through local nonprofits and centers, the police department offers tracking bracelets for people with dementia, and the town opened its own memory cafés this past year.

For more information, contact: Christine Alessandro at BayPath Elder Services at (508) 573-7200; Kelly Burke in Northborough at (508) 393-5035; Janice Long in Hudson at (978) 568-9638; or Pope in Marlborough at (508) 485-6492.