Businesses, organizations continue to seek the training offered
By Heather Ruenz
Staff Writer
It’s been a bit of a whirlwind for the trio that has led the effort to bring awareness about the importance of being dementia friendly to the area but, they say, it’s been well worth it.
The Dementia Friendly Community Initiative of Walworth County, a sub-committee of the county’s Aging Network, is led by Eric and Bernadette Russow, of Elkhorn, and Bonnie Beam-Stratz, the community outreach coordinator for the Alzheimer’s Association in southeastern Wisconsin.
Being dementia friendly signifies upholding the principle that people with dementia have the right to enjoy good quality of life and continued involvement in their local community.
The types of dementia include: Alzheimer’s disease, Frontotemporal dementia, Lewy body disease, vascular dementia and reversible dementias.
Beam-Stratz said there are rarely any obvious physical signs a person has dementia.
“Approximately 30 percent of the people with dementia live alone and one in three seniors dies with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia,” Beam-Stratz said.
It’s estimated nearly 14 percent of Walworth County residents 65 and older are diagnosed with dementia and that percentage is expected to increase to more than 25 percent by 2035.
“You may have customers with dementia, customers that are caregivers of those with dementia, employees in the beginning stages of dementia and employees that are caregivers for those with it,” Beam-Stratz shared as reasons to be trained, in addition to the obvious – dealing directly with people who have dementia.
Read the rest of the story – including ongoing efforts, a review of the training available and volunteer opportunities – in Southern Lakes Newspapers’ publications including the Delavan Enterprise, East Troy Times, Elkhorn Independent and Walworth Times.
