MANSFIELD — The local initiative aimed at building a dementia-friendly community is picking up steam.
Earlier this year, the Northwest Ohio Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association announced its plan of creating a Dementia Friendly Coalition in Richland County. The purpose is to help create a culture more aware and accepting of those with dementia.
The coalition is made up of seven committees representing a variety of fields, including education, healthcare, legal, government/agencies/library, volunteer base/social engagement, faith and business. (The bios of each committee leader can be found at the bottom of this story.)
“Most of the committees are looking at getting that awareness out there as far as signage, packets and that kind of thing,” said Tessa Clark, program coordinator with the Alzheimer’s Association.
Clark said altogether the committees consist of about 30 volunteers.
“And we’re always, of course, looking for more,” she added. “I wanted to make sure that we’re covering everything, or as much as we can at least initially.
“And I also wanted to make sure that we weren’t just doing one sector and ignoring another sector, but that we were kind of going pretty broad.”
Each committee is tasked with creating an action item. The legal committee, for instance, is potentially looking at how to raise awareness of dementia in the legal systems, Clark said. The volunteer base/social engagement committee could consider how to help remove people with dementia and their caregivers from isolation, she said.
As an employee of the Alzheimer’s Association, Clark dedicates 16 hours to the Dementia Friendly Coalition. She said a part-timer was recently hired to help oversee the coalition, “so we’re going to be seeing a faster pace here with progress,” she said.
Clark hopes the coalition will become a shining example of a grassroots approach to raising awareness and acceptance of people with dementia.
“We’d like to be the example for the area,” she said. “The first rollout was in Hancock County, but I would like to see us do just as good or better and keep progressing.”
Already, she’s heard from individuals in Crawford and Seneca counties that would like to form their own coalitions, she said.
Ultimately she hopes the Dementia Friendly Coalition will help reach families affected by dementia.
“We want them to know that we care, that we’re here,” she said.
She also hopes awareness will spread so that people in a variety of settings will be equipped to handle certain situations that could arise.
“We’d like to be able to train caregivers in a home setting, but we’d also like to be able to train people in the business sector, as well, on tips and tricks and things like that to better serve your persons with dementia,” she said. “Say you’re in a grocery store and you’re seeing somebody come in three times a day buying the same stuff — you might want to step in, but you want to have that training and the awareness.”
The plan is to roll out the coalition over a three-year span.
“We want to keep growing as we go,” Clark said.
Those interested in joining are asked to contact Clark at 419-522-5050 or teclark@alz.org.
Education Committee
Kerrick Franklin, Community Outreach Director for the Mansfield Area Y
Franklin provides quality youth programs that build character and self-esteem. He designs programs to help at-risk youth reach their fullest potential, teaching them positive decision-making skills and structuring after-school activities. He serves as the staff liaison for local churches and schools, building positive relationships with students, families, school staff and community partners.
Legal Committee
Jack P. Stewart, JD, CPA, CFP®
Stewart is a graduate of the University of Dayton (bachelor of science in business administration; major in accounting), Cleveland State University: Cleveland-Marshall College of Law (juris doctor degree), and Denver College of Financial Planning: Certified Financial Planner Program. He is an attorney-at-law, a certified public accountant and a certified financial planner practitioner. He is certified as an elder law attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation.
Stewart has experience working for a national accounting firm and as manager of Richland Bank’s trust department. He has worked as an associate at a law firm where he specialized in estate planning and administration, personal financial planning, taxes and corporate business law. He currently has his own law and tax practice, specializing in elder law, estate planning and business law.
He also owns the investment company, Crystal Investment Group, Inc. which assists individuals with investment management.
He is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association (the Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law Section), National Elder Law Foundation, National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
He is past president of the North Central Ohio Estate Planning Council, a current member of Kiwanis Club of Mansfield (past president), past board member of Mansfield Red Cross (where he served as chairperson), past board member of Visiting Nurse Association of Ohio, current board member of the Monsignor Dunn Foundation, past board member of Richland Academy (past president of the board), past board member of Richland Newhope (past president of the board), and current board member of Braintree Business Development Center.
Healthcare Committee
Deborah Veley, HSE, LISW/Executive Director of BELTSS
Veley is the executive director of the Board of Executives of Long-Term Services and Supports in Columbus. BELTSS is responsible for adopting regulations and prescribing standards for examination and licensure of nursing home administrators. The board also investigates and takes appropriate action on complaints of alleged noncompliance with applicable requirements. BELTSS is an 11-member board governing just over 2,000 licensees, 100 administrators-in-training and 64 CEU providers per year.
Government/Agencies/Library Committee
Deborah L. Dubois, AMLS, CPL/Outreach Coordinator for the Mansfield/Richland County Public Library
Dubois has worked at the Mansfield/Richland County Public Library for 33 years. She helps people of all ages discover how the library can serve their informational, recreational, educational and cultural needs. She has a masters degree in library science from the University of Michigan and a bachelor of science degree in education from Eastern Michigan University. She is married to Deacon Thomas Dubois and has two daughters, two sons-in-law and two grandchildren.
Volunteer Base/Social Engagement Committee
Mary K. Bolin, Senior Business Development Manager at VNA
Bolin has been a staffing specialist for 25-plus years in Richland County, Mansfield and surrounding areas. She specializes in employment staffing, networking, training and development.
Faith-based Committee
Latonda Williams, LPN/Director of Customer Relations at Liberty Nursing Center of Mansfield
Williams is the director of community relations at Liberty Nursing Center in Mansfield. With over 25 years of experience working in the healthcare field, working with the geriatric population has become her passion. She is the wife of Aaron Williams Jr., who is the pastor of the Maddox Memorial Church of God In Christ.
She is the proud mother of three daughters, Christa, Jacinta and Aryn. She is excited to be involved in the Dementia Friendly Coalition and is looking forward to working with faith-based organizations to bring awareness and help to those families who are affected by the Alzheimer’s disease.
Business Committee
Tessa Clark, Program Coordinator with the Alzheimer’s Association, Northwest Ohio Chapter
Clark is the program coordinator with the Northwest Ohio Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. Her office is located at Hawkins Corner, 2121 Park Avenue West in Ontario. She can be reached at 419-522-5050 or toll free at 1-800-272-3900.
There are 81 different types of dementia, with Alzheimer’s being the most common.
According to data released in the Alzheimer’s Association’s “2018 Alzheimer’s disease Facts and Figures,” Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death in both Ohio and the United States.
In Richland County, dementia was the fourth leading cause of death in 2017, according to vital statistics compiled by Richland Public Health.
According to the association’s facts and figures report, there are approximately 5.7 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s. By 2050, this number is projected to increase to nearly 14 million.
The disease kills more than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. It also causes drastic financial consequences.
In 2018, Alzheimer’s and other dementias will cost the nation $277 billion, the facts and figures report states. That figure does not account for the costs of unpaid caregiving by family and friends, who often experience health and financial challenges of their own because of care responsibilities.
