Published: June 24, 2006 11:25 pm         

Nation, Valley face future of growing Alzheimer’s prevalence

Clinton — Every Saturday evening, while others are out for a night on the town or relaxing at home, Peggy and Chuck Strobel are sitting at their kitchen counter sorting pills.

They came to this point in their 41 years together after Chuck, 61, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2004.

Since then, their lives haven’t been the same. Peggy has thrust herself into education on Alzheimer’s, while learning to adjust to her husband’s mind-altering disease. This is an emotional strain, Peggy said, as she comes to grip with her husband’s steady decline and learns to cope with a new reality.

“It’s hard, real hard. You think that’s not going to happen to you, then all of the sudden — boom, you know,” Peggy said quietly while trying to put her reality into words. “You just have to have faith, and God’s going to take care of you. We believe that.”

It has been a long road for the Strobels. The symptoms of the disease started presenting themselves nearly four years ago.

Chuck began noticing his job was becoming increasingly difficult to manage. In 2001, he retired from Newport’s Temple-Inland paper mill, where he worked as an environmental engineer for 26 years.

He was bored without work, so he eagerly took on a new job at a waste-water treatment plant. It wasn’t long, when a smart, tactful, educated Chuck noticed he wasn’t able to handle simple tasks, and became easily confused.

“He thought, ‘What happened? What’s going on?’ It was just a puzzle to us until we started going to the doctor,” Peggy said. “It starts out, you say something, and then it’s like he didn’t hear what you said. Then you think ‘is he not listening to me?’ And then you realize he’s not getting it. Something’s wrong. We have to find out what’s wrong, something’s wrong. You just have to start getting checked and find out what it is. You just have to face it.”

Chuck and Peggy didn’t know where to turn, so they started with their family doctor, then went to a neurologist, back to the family doctor, and then finally to the Indiana University School of Medicine, where research studies were suggested.

Initially, Chuck was diagnosed with a “mild cognitive impairment,” Peggy said. In the summer of 2004, Chuck decided to have a lumbar puncture since he and Peggy suspected the impairment was due to Alzheimer’s. The procedure was done at the IU School of Medicine in Indianapolis. A physician extracted fluid from Chuck’s spinal column in an effort to detect Alzheimer’s disease, Peggy said. The results were indicative of Alzheimer’s.

“It was devastating … I burst into tears. It’s just heartbreaking. But we deal with it, and we still try to go out and have fun and do fun things.”

Once the diagnosis was made, the couple began mapping out a plan for their future, Peggy said. Peggy had to switch health insurance providers. They had to modify their living wills, get a power of attorney, hired help for around the house and apply for Social Security disability, for which Chuck was approved.

“That was like a huge relief money-wise — financially, because we were struggling with paying a horrible amount for our health insurance,” Peggy said. “… It was almost $1,000 a month, so it was awful. Chuck takes medication for his memory, for his blood pressure and for depression. I take an anti-depressant, which I had to start after the Alzheimer’s began.”

The Strobels now pay $1,200 every 90 days for medicines and health insurance.

Peggy has invested seemingly endless hours into researching and learning about Alzheimer’s disease.

She wears a purple bracelet sold by the Alzheimer’s Association that reads, “a reason to hope.” The bracelet represents advanced research, good treatment, a cure and family support.

She pulled a book from her bag, titled “Alzheimer’s Early Stages,” and laid it on the round, wooden table in front of her. The book, which she takes to work, was an indicator of how much effort she has put into educating herself about the disease.

“I have read every book there is to read,” Peggy said.

There were nearly 40 page markers of various fluorescent colors sticking out from the book’s pages. Each flagged page, she said, was something that she wanted to reference quickly. The book teaches caregivers about what to expect and how to care for themselves. Support, Peggy said, is an important aspect in coping with her husband’s early onset of Alzheimer’s.

Peggy also recognizes the importance of attending an Alzheimer’s support group, she says. It helps her to learn about other caregivers’ experiences, so she can gain insight on what to expect. At times, it’s scary for her to listen to the possibilities of what’s to come with the progression of her husband’s disease, she said.

“I do pretty good — most of the time. We have wonderful friends. I have wonderful co-workers. We have a wonderful church family. And they are just all a blessing. Without them,” Peggy said, “I could never make it through. We have two wonderful sons and two daughters-in-law. I mean, everybody is so supportive.”

The Strobels’ son, Chris, 37, of Cincinnati said it’s difficult for family members to accept the change, knowing what his father’s cognitive abilities used to be.

“He is what he is … The essence of his personality is still there. He’s just quieter, more submissive — a little sillier,” said Chris, who is filming an Alzheimer’s documentary. “When he does get out and get involved, it’s overwhelming to him. He needs organization.”

The interior of the Strobels’ residence is a testament to the presence of an Alzheimer’s resident. Peggy has put hot-pink sticker labels above each light switch, indicating to Chuck what room light each switch operates. She also created a chart for her husband, so he can remember to do certain things like take his pills and call his mom.

To keep his brain active, they work together on a 750-piece cruise ship jigsaw puzzle, which rests on the same counter where they sort pills.

This disease isn’t just occupying Chuck’s brain, because it has gestated in Peggy’s mind.

Peggy woke up at 4 a.m., the morning after her interview with the Tribune-Star, thinking about her husband — her high school sweetheart and best friend in all the world, she says.

“When we got married 41 years ago this Monday,” she stated. “We vowed to take care of each other ‘for better, for worse, in sickness and in health’ … He’s taken good care of me and our family through the years. Now it’s my turn to take care of him.”

Together, they have inched their way along an unknown, frightening path, and they’re journeying into an uncertain future.

“It’s scary. The future is scary. We’ll deal with it when it comes,” she said.

Laura Followell can be reached at (812) 231-4253 or laura.followell@tribstar.com.