NHC activities honor Alzheimer’s caregivers

Originally published by the Daily News Journal on June 23, 2013. (Download PDF)

National HealthCare Corp. celebrated “The Longest Day” on Friday, not because it was the longest day of the year and the start of summer, but to honor people who are caregivers for people who have Alzheimer’s.

“It’s often said that Alzheimer’s caregivers are giving care 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For them, every day is a very long day — especially in certain stages of the disease,” Melinda Vance, NHC’s liaison to the national Alzheimer’s Association who also serves on the Tennessee and Mid-South Board of the Alzheimer’s Association, said in a release.

“For people caring for someone with Alzheimer’s, every day is a demonstration of love, patience, strength and endurance. So each year, on The Longest Day, Alzheimer’s support organizations across America organize fundraisers around group activities that can be done from dawn until dusk. Often these are endurance-based activities such as cycling, running or walking, organized in sunrise-to-sunset relays so that at least one team member is doing that activity during those hours.”

Alzheimer’s “is a significant part of healthcare today,” said NHC Senior Vice President Gerald Coggin, during all-day activity awareness sessions at Adams Place in Murfreesboro, NHC HealthCare in Murfreesboro and at the corporate office on Vine Street.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more than 15 million Americans provide unpaid care valued at $210 billion for people with Alzheimer’s and other related illnesses.

“The focus of our activities today is to honor the families, and our staff, who take care of Alzheimer’s patients,” Coggin said. “Though this is the longest day of the year, for them the job never ends.”

More than 5 million Americans currently have Alzheimer’s, a progressive, degenerative disease that attacks the brain. It is estimated that up to 16 million Americans will have the disease by the year 2050, as the American population ages.

“As big as those numbers are, they don’t convey the up-close experiences of the millions of caregivers who live with and care for someone with Alzheimer’s,” Vance said. “Alzheimer’s is a terrible disease that takes away your memories, your personality and your history with your family, the very people who often care for you through all the days from the longest to the shortest.”

“Caring for an Alzheimer’s patient is an emotionally, financially and physically challenging role for caregivers, whether they are family members or paid caregivers,” she said. “For caregivers, the day never ends. We are proud to honor all Alzheimer caregivers on this, The Longest Day.”

NHC is a corporate sponsor of the Alzheimer’s Association (www.alz.org), the world’s leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer’s care, support and research. In addition, NHC employees themselves raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association through events such as The Longest Day, and fund-raising Alzheimer’s Walks. Last year, NHC employees raised more than $135,000.

“We want to do everything we possibly can to find a cure for this terrible disease,” Coggin said.