To: Stamford Health Systems[1]
RE: The Alzheimer's community of Stamford
Congratulations as our entire community watches your plans now becoming a reality for the new and exciting Stamford Hospital[2] Health Systems. We anticipate the continued service and many enhancements now included for the excellent life-changing programs for patients at centers for cancer and heart disease along with new "safety and quality improvements, and germ-zapping robots!" We also applaud Stamford Hospital as the first Connecticut hospital[3] to receive joint commission certification for Fusion Surgery program.
However, long overdue is a center for what is being called "the great health crisis of our time," Alzheimer's disease. According to the Alzheimer's Association[4] , Alzheimer's disease afflicts nearly 5,000,000 Americans, and in the next 40 years the association predicts that cases could triple to more than 100-plus million. One thing for certain, every seven minutes we can be sure there will be someone we know or love losing their mind and memories to the dreadful heartache of Alzheimer's disease.
It is no longer appropriate for Stamford's highly respected and only hospital to continue on a path of existence without an Alzheimer's center. To truly call itself a state-of-the-art care center, Stamford Hospital must address our growing community afflicted by the Alzheimer's epidemic. Alzheimer's disease affects not only the afflicted, but the victims' families and caregiver's lives, their workplaces, the city's economy and our collective conscience.
The economic effects on our economy and health system are sobering. Last year the association reported our country spent an estimated $200 billion treating patients over age 65 with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.
On a personal level, the cost of caring for our loved ones is enormous and undetermined, while the emotional toll is immeasurable.
While there is no cure as of yet, victims and family members search blindly in utter confusion for help on their daily journey without any Alzheimer's road map from the start of this condemning news.
While Stamford Hospital has generously allowed Angel's for Alzheimers Cure Volunteers to conduct a Caregiver Support Group[5] at the Tully Center[6] every third Wednesday of each month, given the rampant epidemic state of Alzheimer's disease in our country, it is eminently clear that it would be of great hope and help to so many families if a local center could be provided under the Stamford Hospital umbrella of services.
A center created expressly to offer a hub of numerous and easy access resources, information including medical specialist contacts, Alzheimer's specialist seminars, medical and research updates, state assistance, local support and social programs. . . . but above all, help to cope with the super-human patience and tireless efforts needed 7/24! Considering most family caregivers are senior citizens themselves, still working full-time and many traveling this path alone, what better support can anyone offer them at the emotional and searching onset?
As the fastest-growing disease of this century, we continue to witness such enormous growth of Alzheimer's disease by the additional facilities being built and the expanded services implemented in existing facilities right in our own community and throughout the country. Yet such a hub currently still does not exist for our community.
In 2008 a proposal had been discussed with Stamford Hospital as a collaboration/cooperation between the Alzheimer's Association Connecticut Chapter, Alzheimer's Volunteers and the Stamford Health Systems. It was obvious Stamford Hospital was very aware and anxious to participate. We're anxious to revisit and revive that proposal to address this growing, horrific challenge.
The collaborative start-up proposal program was the realization of what we could achieve together being so much more effective than what can be achieved separately!
We hope our concerns will ignite this plan of a center, propelling it forward in short order, for without a doubt, the need is incontrovertible.
Elenora Tornatora-Mikesh is Connecticut chapter director of Alzheimer's Association and Angel Dazzo is founder of Angels for Alzheimer's Cure Volunteers.
References
- ^ Stamford Health Systems (www.stamfordadvocate.com)
- ^ Stamford Hospital (www.stamfordadvocate.com)
- ^ Connecticut hospital (www.stamfordadvocate.com)
- ^ Alzheimer's Association (www.stamfordadvocate.com)
- ^ Caregiver Support Group (www.stamfordadvocate.com)
- ^ Tully Center (www.stamfordadvocate.com)
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