Daily Republic - Senior Roundtable Eyes Alzheimer's, Importance of Social Activity

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By Ryan McCarthy

Rep. John Garamendi watched highlights of a documentary shown at the Adult Recreation Center that included the congressman's response to a family member developing Alzheimer's disease.

The 2015 film "Fading Away" was shown Feb. 19 and depicts how the congressman gave up his home office and rearranged the house to put a hospital bed for his mother-in-law in a room next to the kitchen.

"Fading Away" notes that someone in America is diagnosed with Alzheimer's every 67 seconds.

It was shown as part of the Senior Services Roundtable hosted by Garamendi, D-Walnut Grove, at sites that included Fairfield.

He said in Fairfield that good things are happening with research to combat Alzheimer's.

Efforts to boost funding for the disease, which receives less than 10 percent of the money that goes to combat cancer, are underway, Garamendi said.

Research includes how the brain ages, why more women than men get Alzheimer's and why some people with the disease slip into a happy, blissful state and others do not.

Former state Assemblywoman Mariko Yamada spoke at the Fairfield event and recounted taking care of her mother for 23 years. Her mother did not have Alzheimer's.

"She never forget anything bad I ever did," Yamada said, smiling.

Rochelle Sherlock, coordinator of the Solano County Senior Coalition, spoke about the need to be engaged in active aging.

"Social activity is very healthy," Sherlock said.

More than 86,000 residents of Solano County are older than 60, she said.

A conference about dynamic aging will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 15-16 at the Ulatis Community Center, 1000 Ulatis Drive in Vacaville.

Living your legacy, creating communities of support and aging in place are among topics at the event that will happen at the center.

Free continental breakfast and lunch will be provided.

Garamendi said of the roundtables he hosted that, "Seniors are engaged volunteers, elders with wisdom and experience, patriarchs and matriarchs of proud families and resilient communities.

"I hope the seniors who attended these roundtables walked away with the name of a service provider in their region or at least a pearl of wisdom of how they can stay healthy," he said in a press release. "I certainly walked away with a greater understanding of the needs of the district."

Groups represented at the roundtables included organizations focused on transporting seniors to medical facilities, providing food delivery to homebound seniors, preventing fraud against seniors and helping caregivers of family members with Alzheimer's, Garamendi noted.

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