Caregiver speaks out on Alzheimer’s

By Mike Ford, The Delphos Herald
Published:  Monday, December 3, 2007 (2 years, 3 months ago)
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Helen Ebbeskotte, left, and her daughter, Janet Metzger, are among the local residents who face the challenges presented by Alzheimer’s Disease on a daily basis. Ebbeskotte resides at the Sarah Jane Living Center, which Metzger says the community is lucky to have available to it.DELPHOS — As “baby boomers” age, the sons and daughters of the “greatest generation” are expected to do so in numbers that could reconstruct the nation’s approach to health care.
Alzheimer’s Disease is just one of the medical issues continually confronting senior citizens. Because projections foresee 8.6 million Americans suffering from the disease by 2030 and as many as 16 million by 2050, insight in to the lives of patients and those who love them will increase in value.
Helen Ebbeskotte, 91, is one of 4.5 million Americans now suffering from the disease. She is a resident of the Sarah Jane Living Center in Delphos, which cares for those with Alzheimer’s in a 24-hour inpatient capacity.
Ebbeskotte’s youngest daughter, Janet Metzger, 46, was her mother’s primary caregiver from the time of her father’s passing until Ebbeskotte moved in to the center. She remembers her mother’s personal strengths in days gone by as including an aptitude for mathematics and independence on the family farm until the disease began to slowly take them from her.
“They were very independent and she has always been a hard worker. It was nothing for her to work in the garden. We never worried about her wandering off in that way but were concerned if she went into town by herself,” Metzger said.
Once Alzheimer’s sets in, it is common for memory loss to cause several noticeable symptoms, including misplacing objects, difficulty performing tasks, as well as wandering off and getting lost.
For many local residents, a family member’s First Communion is a major event. That of Metzger’s son was important to Ebbeskotte, who participated in planning the details. Communication efforts were hindered, however, and this was when Metzger took notice of something being seriously wrong with her mother.
“I’ll never forget it — she left a message on my answering machine to call her and when I did, she couldn’t remember why she called me. She has always been a very sharp woman and this was not something she would forget,” she said.
Ebbeskotte’s deterioration over the last five years due to the disease was somewhat steady until nine months ago. Now, math problems she could once perform are no longer within her ability. However, how to multiply is not the worst of what Ebbeskotte is forgetting.
“She knows me now as her baby sister, not her baby girl, but I still belong to her and that’s what’s important; important to me,” Metzger said.
She also says her mother has maintained a peaceful demeanor while suffering from a disease which sometimes makes patients hostile. Mood swings and changes in personality are some of the symptoms caregivers must face.
“When you have a conversation, you just go with the flow so you don’t ruffle their feathers,” Ebbeskotte said.
She encourages any caregiver to seek out a support group, which Ebbeskotte has undergirded herself with in the past.
“It really helps to have people you can talk to and it helps you to cope,” she said.
While the disease has no known cause, the American Health Assistance Foundation notes several preventative measures that can lower one’s risk of falling prey to Alzheimer’s. These include a well-balanced diet and regular exercise, along with mental activity such as taking classes in subjects of interest, learning to play a musical instrument, reading, writing and solving various puzzles.
Treatments focus on slowing cognitive decline and early screenings with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) machines.

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