do 23 jun, 09:00
General
ARNHEM – It could well be a depression, or so the thought. The diagnosis showed otherwise. The doctors diagnosed dementia. It happened to the mother of Mieke Keppens, who became a caregiver as a child. She is now coordinator and chair of the working group of the Alzheimer Café in Arnhem.
Door Vincent Bos
Fellow sufferers meet every third Tuesday of the month. To exchange experiences and to listen to experts. Numerous topics are discussed. Lots of practical things too. Recognition and recognition are important here, says Mieke Keppens. The meetings are experienced as extremely valuable.
“The participants then hear from each other what problems they encounter. We try to keep our evenings varied with a range of themes, to be a boost, to be an inspiration. It’s a place to laugh and to get rid of your frustration, but also to encourage people to a better lifestyle,” she says.
The figures do not lie in the Netherlands. The number of people with dementia is rising sharply. Every hour, five people in the Netherlands are diagnosed with dementia.
It should be noted that dementia is the collective name for more than fifty brain diseases. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia.
Of the informal caregivers, 66 percent indicated that it often takes longer than a year before the diagnosis is made. It is estimated that 2000 people in Arnhem have dementia. 79 percent of people with dementia still live at home and are cared for by close relatives.
Mieke Keppens knows how important contact with fellow sufferers is. For example, her grandmother was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. “I’ve known her nothing but as an apathetic grandmother. Later she was agitated and delusional.” Then the disease revealed itself in her mother. Keppens therefore knows better than anyone what the disease does to people. And what the disease means for the immediate environment. Especially if the character of your neighbor changes. “Every time you say goodbye to the person with whom you have shared joys and sorrows.”
She has also experienced that outsiders often talk over the heads of people with dementia. She advises everyone not to do that. Dementia can manifest itself in different ways. Keppens points out not to lump everyone together.
The Alzheimer Café Arnhem is visited by an average of 30 to 34 people, depending on the theme and the guest speaker. Most visitors come from Arnhem, sometimes from the surrounding area. From Rheden or Elst for example. The working group consists of ten volunteers. They are involved and enthusiastic.
The meetings are held in the Rozet Library Presikhaaf. The Memory Support is also located there. Here you will find information for carers and books about dementia. The Alzheimer Café Arnhem is open every third Tuesday of the month from 7.30 pm to 9.30 pm, except in July and August.