Ball State University students and faculty working on the new immersive learning project "Alzheimer's: Never Forget" are looking for family members of Alzheimer's patients who are interested in sharing their experiences with the disease.
Maria Hawkins, associate professor of telecommunications, said her class of 2015 nursing, telecommunications, public relations and education students hopes to use what they learn this semester to help educate families affected by Alzheimer's, a fatal brain disorder that has no cure.
"One of the best ways I know to deal with an illness is to know what you're going to go through," she said.
Hawkins said she decided to start the project when a friend was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in late August. Immersive learning grants opened up the next day, and with help from the School of Nursing, she said she was able to put everything together within the two-week deadline.
There aren't many resources for families affected by Alzheimer's, Hawkins said. She said there is no Alzheimer's center where families can get support in Muncie.
"It's kind of pointless to know somebody who has a problem and not do something," Hawkins said. "I may not be able to solve every problem, but at least I will have attempted to make it better for somebody."
Senior Ashley Harley, a public relations major, said Alzheimer's was a personal endeavor for her because she remembered the confusion she felt as a child visiting her grandmother in a nursing home.
"My grandma was always in her bedroom, and she was always sleeping," she said. "I never understood why she was always sleeping. I called her ‘Sleeping Grandma.'"
In addition to the meaningful cause, Harley said the best part of the class has been working with students from different majors and learning from each other.
"So far, we've just been meeting with patients and their families and making the videos," she said. "We're seeing patients at different stages of Alzheimer's and talking to their family members about how this had affected their lives."
By the end of the semester, Harley said she and her classmates will create an online database about Alzheimer's, training videos for Alzheimer's caregivers at Miller's Health Systems and keepsake videos for the families of specific Alzheimer's patients.
Harley said she is looking forward to the Alzheimer's fairs the class has been organizing for local residents. The fair is scheduled for April 6 in Middletown, Ind., and April 22 in Plymouth, Ind.
Hawkins said the phone call she received from her friend, assistant professor of marketing and management Gail Stautamoyer, Saturday morning was an indication that the project is worthwhile.
"She just said ‘I'm so glad you're doing this. Maybe this will get the word out that there are things people with family members that have Alzheimer's need,'" Hawkins said.
Stautamoyer, who learned about the Alzheimer's class through the local newspaper, said she has been passionate about Alzheimer's education ever since her mother was diagnosed with the disease almost four years ago.
"It's like watching somebody die in front of your eyes because they're no longer the person they used to be," she said.
It's helpful for family members to know what's going to come so they can plan and try to prepare themselves emotionally, she said. When a loved one has Alzheimer's, she said there are many issues that need to be addressed, like power of attorney, as people don't realize until they are thrust into the situation.
Hawkins said even though the class is not scheduled to continue next semester, her partners in the School of Nursing plan to continue their work on Alzheimer's education by applying for future grants.
"We want to extend the Ball State brand so that people know there are things going on in every area of life from Ball State," she said.
More Information:
Alzheimer's disease
- It destroys brain cells, causing memory loss and affecting thought process and behavior.
- Today, 5.3 million Americans are living with the disease.
- Alzheimer's is the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States.
- There is no cure for Alzheimer's, but there are treatments that slow the progress of the disease.
Source: The Alzheimer's Association, the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer's care
Get involved
If you would like to share your experience as the family member of an Alzheimer's patient, contact Maria Hawkins at 765-285-2263 or mhawkins@bsu.edu.
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