Dementia Together -by Lynn Kloss
Dementia is a condition that affects over 57 million people worldwide. In the U. S. 10% of people over age 65 are living with dementia. This is condition that resonates not only for the person with the diagnosis, but also for the care partner of that person. Dementia is a collection of symptoms caused by disease or injury. Many of us are familiar with Alzheimer’s disease (which accounts for the most cases), but other conditions related to dementia are Parkinson’s disease dementia, traumatic brain injury, and stroke. Before he passed, my brother suffered from dementia as a result of Parkinson’s disease. Loved ones often feel isolated and alone in handling the diagnosis and in being a caring partner.
Dementia Together is an organization in northern Colorado that serves individuals with dementia and their care partners. The origins of Dementia Together stem from the efforts of one person who began by establishing support to help those impacted by dementia to make connections. Cyndy Luzinski is a registered nurse (RN) who began organizing support groups for care partners in 2015. This was followed by Memory Cafes for people with dementia and by an organized program to teach care partners the SPECAL (pronounced Speckle) Method of interacting with their dementia partners. In the past year, Dementia Together sponsored 289 social enrichment gatherings for people and their care partners living with dementia. I was fortunate to observe a Memory Café recently. The gathering of individuals with dementia and their care partners was facilitated by Dementia Together staff and volunteers and promised a theme of love and friendship. Participants sang songs, shared stories, enjoyed refreshments, and made connections.
To get a better idea of what it is like to experience Dementia Together services, I interviewed Walta Ruff. Walta’s husband, Jim, was diagnosed in 2014. In an effort to understand their new reality, Walta went to an Alzheimer Association event. While the Alzheimer’s Association does great research toward a cure, Walta pointed out that there is a good deal of space between the point of need and the point of cure. As serendipity sometimes would have it, she met someone through the association who told her about the support groups Cyndy had begun. In addition to finding support from others in her situation, she learned about the SPECAL Method. SPECAL was founded in England, and Cyndy sought it out to learn about the method. Walta directed me to a book entitled Contented Dementia by Oliver James, which explains the method’s origins and how well it works for people with dementia. There are three simple rules in SPECAL: Don’t ask questions, listen to the expert (the person with dementia), and don’t contradict. Dementia can present times of frustration for care partners and loved ones, but Walta pointed out that not arguing keeps things from escalating. Working together to solve frustrations allows the person with dementia to truly feel like a partner in solving frustrations. Walta said that she felt very privileged to find Dementia Together when she did and to learn interactions that allowed Jim to live out his life (he passed 18 months ago) while maintaining his personal worth.
In the past year, Dementia Together celebrated 10 years of service to the community helping more than 4,900 find joy in living with dementia. In fact, the organization’s annual fundraiser (coming up on April 9th) is entitled “Joy on the Journey.”
To learn more about this amazing organization, go to dementiatogether.org.
Lynn Kloss retired from a career in employee benefit consulting in 2016. She went back to school after retirement to get her Masters in psychology, with an emphasis on geropsychology. She has volunteered with seniors and dementia patients since retiring. She and her husband moved to Fort Collins in 2023. They love the weather and friendly people of Fort Collins. Lynn currently volunteers at the Aspen Club and the Museum of Discover.
