TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — The Alzheimer's Project was started at St. Paul's United Methodist Church.
They provide respite care or daily activities for those facing dementia or Alzheimer's. They do a lot of crafts, they have 30 minutes scheduled for yoga, and they even play games with their guests.
"My husband Cliff was diagnosed with dementia in 2008, and it was a devastating diagnosis for the whole family," Lee Hinkle said.
Hinkle lost her husband Cliff in 2018, however, she says after his diagnosis of dementia in 2008 - The Alzheimer's Project provided her entire family with the resources - and the help they needed - to make the diagnosis less terrifying.
"It was a once weekly opportunity for me to be able to bring him to the program, and I could run errands or do what I needed to do," Hinkle said.
The Florida Department of Elder Affairs says there has been a 35% increase in Alzheimer's from 2009 to 2019 in Leon County.
The Alzheimer's Project expects the increasing trend to continues.
They offer daily activities to stimulate the brains of seniors living with Alzheimer's in Leon Gadsden, Wakulla, Jackson and Gulf counties.
Claire Sand and Mindy Towler are with the project.
"After they have had a couple of weeks of a day to themselves, they start to relax a little bit, and that helps their care partner, their care receiver, to relax a little bit," Towler said.
Saturday, they got more than $26,000 from the 100 + Women Who Care of Tallahassee to continue their work that works.
Glass is with 100 + Women Who Care of Tallahassee.
Furthering a mission that Hinkle says she hopes can help other families.
As more families across the nation cope with this disease.
