By Lynda Raines
Copy Editor

A profile of McTyre’s Cove resident Georgene Roth that appeared in the January 19, 2004 issue of The Village Mill focused on her long career in the nurse management and teaching fields, particularly her 30 years of work with elderly patients suffering from dementia.

Roth had written a manual about the many different types of dementia for her staff when she was a nurse manager at a long-term care facility in Chesterfield County, and she wanted to write a book about dementia to help educate the public. Last month, Roth held a signing for that book, “Living Beyond,” at Barnes and Noble at Commonwealth Centre.

Roth says it took two years to write the book, as she was constantly collecting data. And her data, she explains, does not come from clinical research or textbooks, but from “research with human beings.” Roth says her book is “my thinking based on my experiences.”

“Living Beyond” is written as a novel. The central character, a woman named Edith, witnesses dementia in family members and in her work as a registered nurse. Later in life, when Edith has a stroke and is unable to speak, she is mistakenly diagnosed as having Alzheimer’s disease and placed in a secure unit within a long-term care facility with dementia patients.

Roth has long believed that dementia is a woefully misunderstood medical condition, and she wanted to get the message out by allowing the character of Edith to tell her story. Roth wasn’t inclined to present her beliefs solely through statistics and medical jargon.

Dementia is Not a Disease

“Dementia is not a disease,” Roth says, “it’s a group of symptoms, characterized by the decline of mental function, memory, decision-making, and reason.” Roth also believes that mental illness is far too often diagnosed as dementia. “Mental illness can be treated,” Roth says, “if it is not confused with dementia. Our society accepts a diagnosis of dementia more than a diagnosis of mental illness.”Roth says the term “Alzheimer’s” is often wrongly used to describe a specific condition when in fact Alzheimer’s is one of many causes of dementia. According to Roth, at least 10 major conditions, diseases and illnesses can cause dementia symptoms, including: vascular disease, strokes, head trauma, hydrocephalus, childhood diseases, Parkinson’s disease, Pick’s disease, alcohol and toxin abuse, Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy Body disease, and psychiatric illnesses.

Telltale Signs of Dementia

Dementia is easier to identify if one knows what to look for, Roth says. Some of the signs of dementia are: becoming easily lost in a familiar neighborhood; failing to grasp what is going on or names of family; failing in judgment, poor decisions; unreasonable, demanding behavior—paranoid and depressive illnesses may occur as dementia worsens; personal habits deteriorate—clothes and possessions become soiled and dirty with poor feeding, toileting and physical activities; choosing inappropriate clothing and wearing multiple layers; loss of sense of time or order; becoming confused over days and dates; slow, subtle personality changes; loss of ability to talk or write; loss of coordination and motor skills; humming, singing, talking or meaningless gesturing to self; sleep disturbances; wandering, faster walking, pacing; and speech becomes incoherent.

Roth hopes her book will serve as a source of information for those who are caregivers to or concerned about a loved one’s struggle with dementia.

Roth’s book “Living Beyond” is available online through Trafford Publishing at www.trafford.com/07-0335, or through Georgene Roth at 744-8770.