PHILIPSBURG:--- Last Saturday, March 19th, 2022, the White & Yellow Cross Care Foundation (WYCCF) organized the second edition of its Alzheimer’s Support Group meetings at the St. Martin’s Home in St. John’s Estate. The meeting was specifically set up to support those who have or had a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease or Dementia. The meeting saw more than double the number of attendees compared to the last time.
Providing care for someone with Alzheimer’s disease can be very hard. It can become increasingly time, and energy-consuming as the persons’ capabilities slowly decrease. It is also emotionally challenging to see the personality of a loved one change, which can lead to confusion and sometimes aggression.
Besides caring for someone 24/7, many people have a full-time job and other responsibilities, which leaves little to no room for relaxation, me-time, or social engagement. This can lead to many persons slowly isolating themselves as not everyone can understand what you are going through. Therefore, talking and listening to people in a similar situation can be a relief. Knowing that others are going through the same as you are and that you can message or call when you need to vent can be reassuring. For this reason, a WhatsApp group chat was created to make reaching out, supporting, and helping each other with relevant information as easy as possible.
After the meeting, all attendees expressed that they were very happy coming to the meeting. Many personal experiences were shared and met with understanding and recognition. Even after the session officially ended, many stayed behind to chat and enjoy a snack and drink.
The next meeting will be held in two months. The exact date and time will be communicated to the public via (social) media. The WYCCF is pleased with this project, as support to the caregivers and the home situation of the clients is an essential part of quality care. It is part of the organization’s goal to continuously see where the quality of its care can be improved and solidified. This project is an excellent example of how the WYCCF aims to do this.
