COEUR d’ALENE — Michelle Larson’s passion for working with families living with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia comes from her own personal experience.

The new Community Outreach Manager for the Alzheimer’s Association in Coeur d’Alene recalled her great-grandmother’s experience with Alzheimer’s and how it affected their entire family.

“Alzheimer's runs in my family on my mom's side,” Larson said Thursday. “I remember very clearly the day she forgot who I was.”

Larson is dedicated to serving families with education and support and wants to open up to the community the conversation about what caregivers most need help with.

“We want the community to share their experiences with us,” Larson said. “What can we do more of to serve families living with Alzheimer’s and dementia?”

May 12, the Kootenai County Community Forum on Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and memory loss will be held from 5:30 until 7 p.m. at Lake City Center, 1916 N. Lakewood Dr. in Coeur d’Alene. Partnering with Kootenai Health and the Area Agency on Aging, a brief overview of Alzheimer’s and dementia will be presented. They will share the resources available in the area and invite guests to share openly with the panel.

The three groups will put together a plan to meet the needs in the community and will revisit the plans in a few years to evaluate how effective their efforts have been, Larson said.

Idaho has a rapidly aging population and it is projected that by 2025, about 33,000 people in Idaho will be over the age of 65, and diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, according to statistics released by the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement.

In 2021, there were approximately 42,000 caregivers across the state. Statistically, 30.8% of them suffer from depression, 16.7% are in poor physical health and 73.7% suffer themselves from chronic health conditions.

Caregiving can take a huge toll on people, Larson said.

One of the ways the Alzheimer’s Association supports caregivers is through a monthly support group. During COVID, meetings were held online but they are now meeting in person, Larson said. A 24 hour hotline (800-272-3900) is also available for family members and caregivers to call. Social workers staff the line and can help by answering questions and addressing concerns for callers.

Locally they have taken calls from as far away as New York, Larson said. A woman whose mother lives in Kootenai County and suffers from memory loss called looking for resources for her mother and local support for herself as a remote caregiver.

“Education is a big piece of what we do,” Larson said.

The association has a big focus on reaching rural communities also, Larson said. There are many resources available in Kootenai County but they are trying to extend their reach to outlying communities like Wallace and Bonners Ferry. A Bonners Ferry support group recently launched.

The mortality rate in Idaho from Alzheimer’s disease in 2019 was about 650, which reflects a 148.1% increase since 2000. It is projected that 20.9% more home health and personal care aides will be needed to meet the demand by 2028.

Educating the public on the symptoms to look for in loved ones is vital, Larson said.

“The big first sign is someone may start to forget things, important dates, names and words,” Larson said. “Someone with Alzheimer’s may be putting things in odd places or repeating statements or questions, over and over again.”

All programs, services and education provided by the Alzheimer’s Association are free of charge. Efforts are funded through events like the Walk to End Alzheimer’s held in the fall, and on June 20, the longest day of the year, people “take their hobbies, and turn them into fundraisers,” in “do it yourself” fashion, Larson said.

Some people host lemonade stands or game nights, to raise money for the organization, she said.

These efforts allow them to provide public services and to invest in cutting-edge research as well.

“It’s a hard journey to walk through and watch your family go through,” Larson said. “I have passion for the mission because I know the impact it has on the family.”

Visit alzwa.org for more information.