Dementia, Alzheimer’s care in McHenry County sees increasing need

One day last year, Kathie Thorson walked out of the Crystal Lake home where she had lived with her husband for more than 20 years, wound up several blocks away – and lost.

On that day, the 73-year-old and her husband of 25 years, Howard Thorson, knew she was dealing with more than age-related memory loss.

Today, still searching for an exact diagnosis, the daily routine for the Thorsons involves multiple ledger books with specific notes on each meal and medication. They also keep multiple notes and calendars on the refrigerator with each day that passes crossed off and times and locations for every activity and appointment.

She looks at the calendars and ledgers several times, yet still questions her husband on the details of each day.

The Thorsons are part of a growing number of adults in McHenry County in need of services to help navigate the challenges associated with various neurological conditions, such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, according to area professionals.

“Compared to last year, incoming calls regarding a loved one suffering with these diseases and accessing services has doubled,” said Sarah Schrempf, executive director of Senior Care Volunteer Network in Crystal Lake. “More affordable care options are desperately needed in McHenry County [for] this type of care in the older population.”

Private memory care can be quite costly and even tough for those with financial means. Additionally, many health insurance policies may not cover costs associated with memory care so Schrempf encourages people to check their long-term care insurance plans long before such a need may arise.

Schrempf said the mission of her network is to offer referrals and support older adults so they can maintain some independence and help them to age in place as long as they can, “but we continue to see a shortage of affordable options for low-income families.”

There also is a great need to help those family members – typically a spouse or adult child – who are caring for someone living with memory issues.

The caregivers need someone to sit with their spouse or parent so they can go to work or just get some respite for themselves, Schrempf said.

The Thorsons have found some relief through various outlets in the county, including the Crystal Lake Public Library.

As Alzheimer’s progresses, people become more isolated. … We are saying, ‘It is OK to be out there. It is OK to not have the words. We help each other.’

—  Crystal Lake Public Library outreach coordinator Marcia Tillman

To keep Kathie Thorson’s mind active and engaged and keep her from isolation, she reads and the couple regularly travel and attend Memory Cafe at the library.

While at the cafe, which meets from 10 to 11:30 a.m. the third Thursday of each month and is facilitated by library outreach coordinator Marcia Tillman, the Thorsons and a handful of others experiencing the same issues engage in discussions, activities, games and listen to music.

Cafe activities are designed to stimulate the minds and memories of those afflicted with memory issues and offer a place of support for the person caring for them, Tillman said.

The hope is to improve the quality of life for the person afflicted and allow the caregiver to connect with other caregivers.

“The cafe is meant to be a social activity for the caregiver and the person with the challenge to have something fun to do,” Tillman said. “As Alzheimer’s progresses, people become more isolated. … We are saying, ‘It is OK to be out there. It is OK to not have the words. We help each other.’ ”

A new activity Tillman is introducing at the memory cafe this week are memory kits, backpacks filled with items, books, games, flashcards, DVDs and CDs centered around themes like Abraham Lincoln, Top Chef, Chicago sports teams and Chicago architecture and flowers.

The memory kits also are available to be checked out. If needed, they can be delivered to people at home unable to come to the library, Tillman said.

The library also offers Crafter Dark social hour from 7 to 8:30 p.m. the second Wednesday of each month where attendees are encouraged to bring whatever project they are working on and be with others while they do it.

For Kathie Thorson that would be crochet, another regular activity she said she does to keep relaxed and her mind active.

Tillman said helping someone with memory issues is about finding something they like to do. This could be as simple as crossword puzzles, word searches or coloring.

Carlos Canga-Arguelles, 76, of Crystal Lake, who has some memory issues, spends afternoons at Independence Health and Therapy in Woodstock where he often paints.

Canga-Arguelles, who was an architect in Guatemala, said through an interpreter that he often paints what he dreams.

His artwork “is a form of expression, a way of expressing (his) feelings like writing a book,” he said. The colors he chooses are “the color in (his) soul,” he said.

Kenneth Bowsher’s wife, Margaret Bowsher, 75, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease about six years ago, also attends Independence Health.

During this time Kenneth Bowsher, 80, of McHenry said he gets to step away and take a break from caring for his wife, which is 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

He either spends time reading, having a cup of coffee or working with his care team through Fellowship of Faith Church in McHenry.

Bowsher began taking his wife of 45 years to Independence Health last year when he felt “it was getting a bit too much.”

While there, Margaret Bowsher is stimulated cognitively and socially and encouraged to paint, something she “always enjoyed” in years past, he said.

“It is very important for both of us,” he said of the time apart. “It helps me to get better and get my mind straight. It helps me to help Margaret better.”

His wife’s condition “is our whole life right now,” he said. “There have been a lot of ups and downs.”

He said it was more difficult when she was first diagnosed, but as time went on and he learned more about the disease and found resources, such as a support group he attends online and another at Woodstock Public Library, it became easier.

He also said had he known this would be their life today, he would have planned for it decades ago and made sure he had long-term care health insurance to cover the costs.

Currently, Senior Services Associates Inc. in Crystal Lake pays for his wife to spend time at the center, he said.

Christina Murphy, memory care and adult day health program manager at Independence Health, described the facility as a “godsend” for such families.

She said the need for support services and resources for memory care is greatly needed in the county.

At Independence Health, clients arrive about 9 a.m. and they can stay until 4 p.m., giving the caregiver some time for themselves.

The day includes snacks, meals and activities, such as bowling and putt-putt. Aides guide the activities throughout the day, which also include discussing current events, people, place, time, date, weather and a half hour of exercise, she said.

They also host special events, including tea parties and ice cream socials. In May, they will be hatching chicken eggs and in June, releasing butterflies.

“That is how we make everyone feel welcome,” Murphy said. “We want everyone to feel welcome. We want them to do the activities. We want them to feel successful and [feel they] have a purpose.”

The cost for Independence Health is $140 for an eight hour day plus an additional $25 for transportation, but they work with families on a sliding scale. They do take some insurance, but not all policies cover the cost.

There are private in-home options, as well, such as Best Care Corporation owned by Holly Kelps of Cary. Her aides provide companionship, light housekeeping, medicine reminders and meal prep. They also run errands, take clients to appointments and help make connections with other services and resources, Kelps said.

The fee is between $28 and $35 an hour and the timeframes are flexible.

Kelps, a former real estate agent, said she often saw adult children struggling “to do the right thing” with an aging parent and thinking downsizing was the answer.

Kelps often saw the parents only decline quicker. So, she began to think “sometimes it is not time to sell your house.” That’s why, she got involved in the business.

For the Thorsons, they are still in their home together, seeing doctors trying to get the correct diagnosis, staying active in the community, and planning for their next camping trip.

Howard Thorson vows to stay by his wife’s side, saying “She is my entire life.” And for that, Kathie Thorson later said, “I’m very lucky.”