First Tuesday Leadership Profile; Alisa Galazzi, Alzheimer's Services of Cape Cod and the Islands

This month we profile Alisa Galazzi, the Executive Director of Alzheimer's Services of Cape Cod and the Islands.  The organization has numerous opportunities for volunteerism and great needs for additional funding, primarily because the need and impact of the disease is particularly acute here on the Cape and Islands.  Alisa took time recently to answer my questions; please also make time to visit their website at http://www.alzcapecod.com/

1. Tell us about Alzheimer’s disease, perhaps beyond what most people might know about simple memory loss.
Alzheimer’s is a progressive brain disease that often begins with loss of short-term memory and moves through the brain killing cells and connections that hold the information on how to talk, recognize familiar people and places, and take care of oneself. What this means is that a person with Alzheimer’s will end up not knowing who they are, where they are, and they will lose the ability to communicate with words and feed themselves. The disease is so prevalent now that we all know or have heard first-hand stories of how the disease took over a loved one’s brain leaving the person with no words or ability to recognize their spouse or children. It is a sad journey for all involved. Alzheimer’s is often a systematic deterioration of the brain and by the end of the disease an autopsy will show that the brain literally has holes in it and is 2/3 smaller! Alzheimer’s is one of over 80 types of dementia and is often confused with other manageable health issues like depression so it is really important to get a full work up of blood and neuro-psych tests to get the right diagnosis. It is a diagnosis of elimination so may require extra detective work by the physician but is truly important for planning and meds. Unfortunately there is no cure or medicine available to alter the course of the disease but the diagnosis will help make supplemental care and planning decisions. Because each person’s brain is unique to their life experiences and learning styles, it is important to ask your primary care physician for a baseline memory test so that as we age, we can compare our test results to earlier ones. We often get asked if there is anything that can be done to prevent getting Alzheimer’s and research is showing that what is good for the heart and blood sugar levels is good for the brain – so we suggest a healthy lifestyle of walking every day, eating a balanced diet, and continuing to learn new skills.

2. What is the mission of Alzheimer’s Services of Cape Cod and the Islands?
Alzheimer’s Services was started 25 years ago by a group of family caregivers with the purpose to support families living with Alzheimer’s. Since the beginning we have education and training as well as respite services to our programs. We have a psychiatric nurse and counselor on staff who help families make sense of the information from their physicians, the meds they are taking, and the varied behaviors that their loved one is exhibiting from the brain loss. Since this is a brain disease, and the brain controls our actions, the symptoms of the disease are the behaviors. Often these behaviors are repetitious and very frustrating so family caregivers need a lot of help and support from us in order to keep their loved one at home. One startling fact is that over 65% of the people who have Alzheimer’s are living at home and being taken care of by their spouse of the same age. This can often translate into a crisis in the home because the caregiver is at their wits end and has their own health issues. Our goal at Alzheimer’s Services is to find these families before there is a crisis and help them through these difficult times with support and respite so that both people can age safely at home.


3. How is your organization funded?
Alzheimer’s Services is a small organization with a big mission. We are funded exclusively by local philanthropy and grants. All of the money we raise stays right here on the Cape for services and programs in our community. We are very frugal and have low overhead so more funding can go to service delivery. Fortunately we do not have to answer to a national organization and we are nimble allowing us to match direct community needs with services. We recently expanded our respite service options for family caregivers and this year we are starting an Arts & Alzheimer’s program so to provide nontraditional respite simultaneously with an opportunity for family caregivers and their care-recipients to share an art experience together.

4. There are some staggering statistics about the impact of Alzheimer’s disease on Cape Cod and the Islands, can you discuss the issue and ramifications?
The Cape is a special place for many reasons but one very important reason is that some say we are a microcosm of the future demographics in our country. Nationally, at the time of the last census, 12% of our national population were 65 and over – on the Cape 25% of our population was 65 and over. One in eight people 65 have Alzheimer’s and half of all people 85 or older have Alzheimer’s - Age is the highest risk factor for Alzheimer’s. Due to the demographic makeup of the Cape and Islands, we have higher than average number of people here living with Alzheimer’s. There are approximately 8500 people living with Alzheimer’s in the Cape and Islands; that is the same number of people as living in the Boston area. In my opinion, the number really should be doubled because the disease so closely affects family caregivers that two people are often debilitated by this single disease. The ramifications of the disease are vast there is speculation and some data on everything from the dangers of folks with Alzheimer’s driving, to the repeated use of emergency care for behavioral issues, to the extra police time needed to find lost and confused folks, to the lack of Medicaid funding to pay for needed care, to the lack of adequate programs and housing to help honor and manage this special group through the end of their journey …. The list goes on and on and we are beginning to see and read about many of these issues today. Suffice it to say that with no cure or meds to alter the course on the horizon, coupled with 6000 boomers turning 65 every day – we as a community need to get ourselves organized on how to handle the needs of these families.

5. What is the single greatest challenge in your work with ASCCI?
First and foremost, we need help getting the word out to families that Alzheimer’s Services is here for them with free support services, education, and respite grants! Our phone number is 508-775-5656 and our website is www.alzcapecod.org – please forward it to anyone you think should know about us. Second, I am not unlike any other business person or head of household who has often wished I could double myself so I can get more done or wished I had extra funds so I could take advantage of a great opportunity. After delivering quality services and good business practices, I think everything in business comes down to time and money. For Alzheimer’s Services that translates to more staff so we can provide more free support services to our clients and more money for respite grants so we can ease the burden of care giving, or in some cases, make staying home possible.

Great thanks to Alisa for taking the time to better help us understand the issues surrounding this debilitating disease and for the work done by her and her wonderful staff every single day in our communities; keep up the great work and thank you for your dedication!