Last week I got a chance to work/play with a very wonderful man named Bill Fay. Bill lost his first wife to Alzheimer’s 12 years ago and the experience caused him to see first hand a need that wasn’t being met. Those patients need help. As a result he started a non-profit called Alzheimer’s Helpers.
Bill is “retired” in north Florida although retired is the wrong word. He is very far from retired. He is fully engaged in life and the lives of Alzheimer’s patients at 9 nursing homes in his area. Not only is he a perfect example of what active aging is all about, he is a wonderful example of a suspiciously healthy person.
The definition of health I use is the ability to work, love, play and think soundly. I stole this definition from Ashley Montagu’s book GROWING YOUNG and used it in WHY NORMAL ISN’T HEALTHY: How to find heart, meaning, passion and humor on the road most traveled.
Bill has a passion to give those folks afflicted with a devastating disease a loving, joyful and playful experience on a regular basis. He and his wife AnnaMarie together with a small group of volunteers visit Alzheimer’s patients with an openhearted, compassionate hand. They play with them, take them out for adventures and create positive experiences for everyone present.
He came to a presentation I did in his area in January. I used my alter ego, Dr. Jerko for that talk. We had a great time and his initial response was to have me come back and do something for his Alzheimer’s friends. However, as he thought about it he decided that it would be even better to do something to honor the Certified Nurse Assistants. After all, these good folks are the ones that spend the most time and give most of the care to Alzheimer’s patients.
And that’s what we did last week. He had me come down to Mt Dora, Florida and do a presentation for CNAs to honor and celebrate them. In the hierarchy of status in health care facilities CNAs, those in the trenches with Alzheimer’s patients who clean their bodies then their sheets before they can even be sent to the wash, don’t get much. Well, Bill turned that around at least for a day.
He used Lake Receptions, a very nice meeting facility and invited CNAs from the places he serves to come to a continuing education program and be served a delicious lunch. There were party favors and door prices. The entire atmosphere was festive orchestrated by Bill and AnnaMarie. I had the honor of surprising them as the instructor in my clown character, Dr. Jerko. And 96 invited guests and Dr “J” had a ball talking about the importance of healthy support.
Afterwards, one of the managers of a facility told me that Bill was a godsend. For example, she related a story about a patient who needed a chair and there was no money available. She talked to Bill, he worked his wonders and came up with the $3600 chair. If health is the ability to work, love, play and think soundly as one follows a path that has heart, meaning, passion and humor then Bill is indeed “suspiciously healthy”. And if you want to send him a donation, apart from the fact that he spent some bucks to bring me in, he'll spend it wisely. www.alzheimershelpers.org
Comments