My Biz: Alzheimer’s group helps Iowans deal with disease

CEDAR RAPIDS - For Shar Jones, the devastation and loss that comes with Alzheimer's disease is an up close and personal experience.

The manager for the Alzheimer's Association East Central Iowa office lost her grandmother to the disease, witnessing the changes it had on a once vibrant and active woman. She also observed the affects it had on her caregiver family members.

'I get what people go through in dealing with the devastation that comes with this disease,” she said.

Jones was working as a pharmaceutical sales representative at the time, selling products that helped individuals dealing with bi-polar disorder, depression and schizophrenia.

'I got to the point in that industry where I realized I needed to be doing something that felt like I was making a difference for someone else, so when I heard about this position I applied,” she said.

That was two years ago. Now she and her staff serve a 19-county area, helping individuals connect the dots and provide support to the caregivers of dementia patients.

'A lot of what we do is getting out there educating people on the disease and what the Alzheimer's Association does,” she said. 'Because a lot of people think that all we do in here are sessions with people that already have the illness.”

Jones said the organization helps care givers and patients find the right services, whether that be a doctor or long-term care.

'I feel like our monthly support groups are the most valuable asset that we have at this time because people have to talk their way through this,” she said. 'There is no way to prevent, stop the progression or cure it.”

Jones said that people are scared of this disease because of the stigma associated with it. 'And there's a lot of denial, but this is one of those diseases where you have to acknowledge that it exists and embrace it,” she said. 'You have to figure out how you can go into your loved one's world because they can no longer come into yours. That gives a person peace, because they cannot change it.”

That's why advocacy is so important, she added. Alzheimer's Association East Central Iowa works with neurologists and doctors' offices so they are aware of the organization's services as well as sends out two individuals who do educational events.

Her office recently rolled out a new program called Conversations About Dementia, geared toward the sandwich generation that still is trying to raise their own families, while caring for their parents who show signs of the illness.

And its Living with Alzheimer's program focuses on how to deal with early, middle and late stages and includes legal and financial planning.

'These are key things that individuals need to make sure they are putting in place,” Jones said.

At a glance

' Manager: Shar Jones, Manager Programs and Advocacy

' Agency/Company: Alzheimer's Association East Central Iowa

' Address: 317 Seventh Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids

' Phone: (319) 294-9699

' Website: www.alz.org

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