Health

Overnight Care For Alzheimer's

June 12, 1998 / 4:01 PM EDT / AP

Lucinda Hess, an 85-year-old former piano teacher who suffers from Alzheimer's disease, doesn't sleep much anymore. Neither does her son.

"We are really at the end of our ropes," said Sherick Hess, who like many relatives caring for Alzheimer's patients at home worries while his mother walks around at night, reading or talking to herself.

For Hess, who wants to avoid full-time nursing-home care, the answer may be found at the Hebrew Home for the Aged at Riverdale.

The Bronx center this week added night-care services to its usual adult day-care. Caregivers can drop off parents or relatives in the evening and pick them up in the morning.

"This service kind of gives the family members a break when they come home at night," said Daniel Reingold, executive vice president of the Hebrew Home, a complex of buildings in the hills overlooking the Hudson River.

One of the first programs of its kind in the country, ElderServe at Night offer patients a night of activities like painting or gardening, while their relatives can go out with friends or spend a quiet evening at home.

One of the main reasons why families place the elderly, especially victims of the brain-degenerative Alzheimer's disease, in nursing homes is the emotional and physical strain that home care can take on relatives, experts say.

"We want to help families that try to avoid that as long as possible," Reingold said.

As the population ages and baby boomers hit retirement age, more programs that fit flexible schedules will be needed, he said.

Alzheimer's patients often experience "sundowning," a condition where they become more active at night. Their relatives, meanwhile, often are juggling work schedules.

"This program is really adapting to the need of consumers," Reingold said. "The idea is to make aging as positive an experience as possible."

On the program's first night this week, 87-year-old Margaret Weiss dug her hands into soil in a flower pot. She does not suffer from Alzheimer's, but is so frail she cannot be left home alone, said her 47-year-old daughter, Suzanne Weiss.

"It's nice to know this service is available at a moment's notice," said the daughter. "I haven't been able to go to dinner with my friends in ... I don't even remember how long."

Last year, Weiss, a recent medical school graduate, was forced to cancel her final exams in order to take care of her mother.

"She needs to have as little disruption as possible," she said. "But it is also important for my own well-being to have some time off."

Margaret Weiss, asked about being at the center, said simply, "It's fine."

In the center's activity room, the curtains are drawn to remove any sign of nighttime, and the white walls are covered with brightly colored decorations, including paintings and drawings done by patients.

In the sleping quarters, soft lighting and the sound of waves makes it easier to go to sleep.

The program costs $75 a night and is open from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Wednesdays through Sundays for people living in the Bronx, Manhattan and neighboring Westchester County.

In a homey dining room, Lucinda Hess eats a dinner of applesauce and a turkey sandwich while her son prepares to leave her for the evening. She doesn't respond when people speak to her.

"The disease has pretty much clipped her wings," says Sherick Hess, who planned a quiet night at home with his wife. "This may be the best solution we have for now."