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River Forest is set to become the second most supportive community for the state's dementia, a designation that recognizes the village's coordinated work in supporting people with dementia as well as their caregivers. Evanston has recently become the first village to obtain this recognition.
"I think the people of River Forest, Oak Park, wherever you are, are a caring community," said Village President Cathy Adduci. "People want to help, they do not know how, I think that if we explain how they can help, it will go far."
According to the Alzheimer's disease advocacy group, nearly 6 million Americans live with Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia and a progressive illness that causes memory problems , thought and behavior. By 2050, this number is expected to reach nearly 14 million. As the number of people with dementia increases nationally, River Forest is taking steps to support its local community and caregivers.
About a year ago, Helen Kwan, a health care and government relations consultant at the Rush University Medical Center and a resident of River Forest, spoke to the village to find out if she was there. it would be worthwhile to obtain a designation favorable to dementia. Adduci said yes, although she was not quite sure what that meant.
She met Raj C. Shah, an associate professor of family medicine at the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, and learned more about the steps to follow to be recognized as supportive of dementia. Meanwhile, River Forest Fire and Police have all received training on recognizing the signs of a person with dementia. The village also now offers free mental health awareness bracelets with identification numbers for residents.
On September 7th, River Forest's first step towards a dementia-friendly designation was held at Concordia University, where Evanston speakers, Dementia Friendly Illinois, participated in a non-profit, Rush event. and more came together to discuss how the village should create an action plan for dementia. Adduci said the action plan will address how to bring together entities such as the Township of River Forest, the Village Government, the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation, the Thrive Counseling Center and others to collaborate and support people with dementia.
"One of the issues raised is transportation. How can we support someone with dementia and their caregiver? Is there a way to transport them to the library for two hours and give the caregiver a break? Adduci said. "Whether you are the child who takes care of your parent or a professional caregiver, it is difficult when you are with a person who is suffering from dementia for 24 hours."
Other issues discussed include teaching dementia to children and how to support those who are suffering, ways to publicly recognize caregivers and more. Adduci stated that it believes that a dementia-friendly designation for River Forest is not a "year".
"It's really exciting and something we're all going to reach," she said.
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