8 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
GET IN STEP
WARRENTON — There’s still
time to sign up for Encore
Dance Studio’s free commu-
nity ballet class taking place
Mondays through Oct. 29.
Though the first week has
passed, the next class is Sept.
17. Classes take place 7:15
to 8:15 p.m. at the Encore
Dance Studio in Warrenton.
Registration is $10.
The class is taught by
Trixie Leone and focuses
on a classical education in
ballet for all abilities and
backgrounds, including
some instruction on mus-
cles and parts of the body
involved in dance.
Leone’s experience
includes a masters of science
in education, instruction and
curriculum, along with 20-
plus years of training in the
Classical Cecchetti Ballet
method.
The classes are for people
13 to adult. Participants
should have clothing they
can move and dance in.
The sessions are spon-
sored by businesses and
members of our community.
To register or sponsor,
contact Encore’s Gearhart
office at getyoudancing@
gmail.com or 503-717-
1637.
COURTESY ENCORE DANCE STUDIO
Members of Encore Dance Studio’s team gather for a picture
at owner Denele Sweet’s house in December. Pictured (from
left) are Suzannah Hastings, April Cameron, Courtney Bangs,
Tia Van Slyke, Trixie Leone, Denele Sweet, Erin Hofseth, Brittani
Henderson, Kimmbrly Mount and Nikkole Sasso.
AAUW raises awareness of dementia
Speakers will highlight
prevalence, advise caregivers
By PATRICK WEBB
FOR COAST WEEKEND
ementia will come
under the spotlight in
Astoria next week.
The American Association
of University Women, Asto-
ria, will host a panel discus-
sion featuring four medical
professionals.
The event, which is free
and open to the public, will
take place 6 p.m. Tuesday,
Sept. 18, in the Astoria Li-
brary Flag Room.
Speakers will be Rhonda
Conrad, a nurse who leads the
hospice program at Columbia
Memorial Hospital; Mindy
Stokes, former administrator
of Clatsop Care Memory, who
serves on the Clatsop Care
Health District board; Dr.
Tom Duncan, a family doctor
who has practiced in Astoria
for 30 years; and Jarrod Karn-
ofski, a physical and occupa-
tional therapy specialist.
The event begins a drive by
the AAUW to raise awareness
of dementia while raising
money for scholarships. The
panel discussion is free, but
admission will be charged for
a theater production with the
same theme later in the week.
Dementia is a broadly
used word to describe brain
diseases, most of which affect
D
the elderly. These cause a per-
manent decrease in a person’s
ability to think and remember.
The most common is Alzhei-
mer’s, for which there is no
known cure.
Symptoms may include
irritability, restlessness,
depression and delusions;
people suffering from late-
stage dementia often don’t
recognize family members or
regular caregivers.
Some medical researchers
believe as many as one in
three people aged 85 or older
will suffer from some degree
of dementia. The British
medical journal, The Lancet,
estimates that worldwide
more than nine million cases
are diagnosed each year.
Modern advocacy seeks
ways to relieve the stress on
caregivers.
“People suffering from this
used to be hidden away,” said
Jan Horning, AAUW secre-
tary and past president. “It’s
bringing more awareness and
support for family members.”
IF YOU GO
What: AAUW Astoria free program on dementia and
mental health.
When: 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 18.
Where: Astoria Public Library Flag Room, 450 10th St.,
Astoria.
COURTESY AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN
Dealing with reality
Duncan welcomed efforts
to support caregivers, who
often are upset, frustrated
and lonely — and in need of
respite.
While other speakers may
see elderly patients already in
serious decline, his practice
often sees people earlier. “The
dementia process can begin
in the early 30s, and there are
variable rates of progress,”
he said.
“The problem is there’s no
way to diagnose dementia until
it’s obvious — there’s no ‘gold
standard.’ The treatment for
dementia is to make their lives
as good as possible, because
it’s not going to change.”
Doctors encourage care-
givers to foster physical activ-
ity. “The person will decline
faster if they don’t maintain
social interactions, so we deal
with the family to get them to
understand that.”
However, upbeat TV ad-
vertisements offering drugs or
treatments raise false expecta-
tions. “Since the treatment is
marginal, the cure is visionary,
the important thing is to deal
with reality,” he said. “There is
denial and confusion. People
cannot understand why doctors
cannot cure it.”
Conrad, who runs the
hospice program at CMH,
encounters dementia patients
at the end of their lives. She
said the progressive nature of
the brain disease commonly
triggers an accompanying
physical decline.
“People with Alzheimer’s
walk less and less, eat less,
and they are in bed, so less
able to do basic things, and
this causes muscle atrophy,”
she said. “And there’s the for-
getfulness — you hand them
a shirt and they don’t know
what to do.”
After four years with
the program, she savors its
rewards.
“I find hospice to be
unbelievable nursing,”
Conrad said. “You enter into
a patient’s home and become
a member of the family.
You help the family feel
confidence to communicate
with their loved one. It is a
privilege.”
A play on the way
In conjunction with this
program, the AAUW will
present its annual scholarship
benefit dessert theater next
“THE PROBLEM IS THERE’S NO WAY TO DIAGNOSE
DEMENTIA UNTIL IT’S OBVIOUS — THERE’S NO ‘GOLD STANDARD.’
THE TREATMENT FOR DEMENTIA IS TO MAKE THEIR LIVES AS GOOD AS
POSSIBLE, BECAUSE IT’S NOT GOING TO CHANGE.”
week. The staged reading fea-
tures “The Father” by Florian
Zeller, which focuses on the
lead character’s struggle with
dementia and his family’s
reactions.
Performances will be 7
p.m. Friday, Sept. 21, and
Saturday, Sept. 22, at the
Presbyterian Church Fellow-
ship Hall, Harrison Avenue
and 11th Street, in Astoria.
Tickets are $15, from AAUW
members, Horning at 503-
325-1832, or at the door.
Jan Nybakke, AAUW
program chairman, said the
experts on the panel were
chosen to address all stages of
memory care. “We want the
audience to have more depth
and come to the play with
as many insights as we can
offer,” she said.
Pamela Alegria from
AAUW said the dessert
theater performances raise
money for scholarships that
the Astoria group awards to
students each year.
The play will be featured
in the Sept. 20 edition of
Coast Weekend. CW