MARINETTE COUNTY – By the time this paper reaches mailboxes and newsstands the Dementia Friendly Community Coalition (DFCC) of Marinette County will have just wrapped up their Longest Day, an annual awareness event that raises funds for local dementia-friendly initiatives. However, the impact of these programs can be felt everyday.
The purpose of the DFCC is best explained by Casey Burkett, the organization’s president, “Really, it’s a conglomeration of different agencies and individuals from the community who work with seniors or have been affected by dementia. So, we have people from a wide range of organizations. We have banks, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, hospice agencies, hospital systems and volunteers.”
Working as a business development team lead at Unity Hospice has given Burkett insight into the resources and programs that will most benefit those with different types of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases.
“The Purple Angel [Program] training is a really awesome thing for any organization in the area that might have a situation where someone with dementia might enter their establishment. We go in and we train all of their staff on, first of all, what dementia is, all the different various forms of dementia, how to spot dementia and then how to react to a situation where maybe someone has dementia and might need help,” Burkett explained.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, those affected by dementia may struggle with problem-solving or memory and language retention so Purple Angel businesses are educated on how to interact with and aid these customers.
After completing the training, businesses are given a Purple Angel sticker to put in the window. Burkett said the hope is that community members will recognize these stickers and know that the location is a safe space.
Currently, over 70 businesses in Marinette and Oconto Counties have completed the training. A full list of Purple Angel Program participants is available on the DFCC’s website.
Another program that the DFCC implemented to benefit their audience is the usage of comfort bags.
Burkett spoke about the bags, “A comfort bag is a tote bag that houses a bunch of items that can be used…for someone with dementia that needs to be comforted.”
When people with dementia are in high-stress situations they can be overcome with heightened anxiety, agitation or anger, the DFCC website states.
“Inside the bags are different types of fidget devices. Fidget devices are things that can keep your hands busy,” Burkett said.
The comfort bags include items such as textured blankets and fidget muffs that allow for a positive sensory experience and take away from the stress of the situation. Oftentimes they also include a baby doll or stuffed animal, both of which can bring back positive memories and emotions.
Comfort bags are not only located throughout the community, but are made by other area resources as well.
The Peshtigo Public Library, through a grant given by the McCauly Memorial Fund, offers their own dementia kits.
Peshtigo Branch Librarian Karen Murphy described that each bag is a little bit different and is centered around a theme. For example, the gardening bag has a flower-based matching game and the art bag has a water-activated painting book. Favorites like fidget items for tactical manipulation and 100-piece puzzles are also included in most.
Murphy said that the dementia kits can be checked out from the Peshtigo library directly or sent to other libraries in the Marinette County Consolidated Public Library Service.
Combining their passions for helping those with dementia in the community, the Peshtigo Public Library and DFCC will soon be teaming up for a few shared events.
“We have a huge initiative that we started this year called the Grandpa and Lucy project where we purchased the book Grandpa and Lucy, which chronicles the experience of a young girl whose grandfather is experiencing dementia. It’s written from the point of view of the young lady and the illustrations are great for kids,” Burkett said.
Murphy noted the impact of the book, “It’s about learning how to interact with a grandparent who has some form of dementia, whether it be Alzheimer’s or if they had a stroke and they have short term memory loss, [and] how you can still you know have a good relationship with them.”
Volunteers from the DFCC will be coming to the Peshtigo library on Friday, June 27, at 11 a.m. to read the book, answer questions and send every kid home with a copy of Grandpa and Lucy.
Since the DFCC is a 501c3 nonprofit organization, fundraising events like the Longest Day help to cover events and workshops.
The two groups will team up again on Wednesday, July 9, at 10 a.m. for an hour-long Dementia Friendly Community workshop, presented in conjunction with the Marinette County Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC).
By partaking in programming with the DFCC and Peshtigo library, Murphy hopes that people will understand how to “keep [people with dementia] involved in things, keep them active and learn how you can support them.”
“Hopefully we can get more people comfortable with those with dementia. I think that would help to make the people and their caregivers more comfortable maintaining a lifestyle that includes outings in the community,” she added.
Burkett agreed, noting how education can impact those with dementia and their caregivers.
“How we treat them, and how we react to the situations that are arising with them, can greatly impact how they respond to the world around them. So, by all of us having that knowledge, we can really improve their lives in our community and have them be a part of our community because isolation is one of the biggest challenges for those with dementia,” Burkett said.
The Dementia Friendly Community Coalition is partnered with Marinette County ADRC and can be reached at the same phone number, (715) 732-3850. Information about Purple Angel Program businesses, where to find comfort bags and other resources they offer can be found at www.dfcwi.com or on their Facebook page, Dementia Friendly Community Coalition of Marinette County.
More information about dementia kits and events at the Peshtigo Public Library can be found at www.marinettecountylibraries.org/peshtigo or Marinette County Libraries on Facebook.
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