In Ocean County, N.J., which has the second-largest senior citizen population in the country, after Dade County, Fla., caring for Alzheimer’s patients is a major issue. As Baby Boomers grow older (they begin turning 60 next year), Alzheimer’s is expected to have an even greater impact on families, particularly in communities with large elderly populations.

For the past three years, Lynette Whiteman has devoted herself to a program that provides Alzheimer’s education to police and emergency medical technicians, as well as assistance to those who are caring for those with Alzheimer’s. As director of the Alzheimer’s Respite Care Program for Caregiver Volunteers of Central Jersey, Whiteman is helping her community deal with the stressful impact that Alzheimer’s has on so many families.

“In the moderate stage of the illness, about three or four years after diagnosis, the person with Alzheimer’s can’t be left alone in the house at all. They are vulnerable to so many things,” she explains. “They could turn on a stove to make a pot of tea and forget the stove is on. They could go out to the mailbox, see a bird and follow it down the street and get lost. The caregiver is always struggling to take the person with them or hire someone to care for them, but there’s no reimbursement for that.”

The Alzheimer’s Respite Care Program trains volunteers to give caregivers a much-needed break. For three to four hours a week, a volunteer comes to the home and attends to the needs of the Alzheimer’s patient while the caregiver goes out to run errands, attend their own doctor’s appointments or enjoy lunch with friends. “Everyone uses their free time in different ways. Some people don’t even leave the house. They just take a nap, because it is the only time they can purely sleep without worrying,” Whiteman says.

Alzheimer’s is a stressful disease that takes a toll on the whole family, she says. The person with Alzheimer’s can get agitated and aggressive. Problems include wandering and memory loss, as well as sleeping and eating disorders. While dealing with such changes in their loved ones, spouses who are serving as caregivers also may suffer from their own health problems, Whiteman says. Older daughters who are often the caregivers must try to juggle the needs of their own families and jobs with the challenges of caregiving.

Whiteman was first exposed to Alzheimer’s disease as a physician’s assistant working in pharmaceutical research on trials for new Alzheimer’s medications. While out in the field, she saw what Alzheimer’s caregivers must go through. She also learned from her husband, Martin, who treats Alzheimer’s patients as a geriatric neurologist practicing in local nursing home and assisted-living facilities.

This summer, their son, Jeremy, also learned about the disease as a volunteer for the Alzheimer’s Respite Care Program. A UD junior majoring in international relations, Jeremy traveled to South Africa last year, where he volunteered with HIV patients and orphans. “It opened his eyes to volunteering, and this year, he was able to help our organization,” his mother explains.

Alzheimer’s caregivers, who suffer from a high rate of depression, are delighted to see Jeremy and the other volunteers who come to their homes each week, Whiteman says. “Three or four hours a week doesn’t seem like a lot, but sometimes, it is the only time they get to go out of the house without worrying about their loved ones,” Whiteman explains. “They look forward to the volunteer visits incredibly. They get very close to the volunteers. They might not want to burden children or friends with what is going on, but they talk to the volunteers. They go through a lot together.”

The Alzheimer’s Respite Care program is funded by the Ocean County Office of Senior Services, as well as grants and donations. For more information about the program, visit the web site at [www.alzcaregiverhelp.com].

Lynette and Martin Whiteman live in Toms River, N.J., with children, Keith and Gabriel. Jeremy is a UD junior. Lynette is a 1979 UD graduate with a degree in nutrition and dietetics.

—Sharon Huss Roat, AS ’87