Support groups using today's technology

A few weeks ago, I attended a local support group which was held by the Alzheimer's Family Organization. The group leader, Marlu Gibson, introduced the integration of social networking platforms, moving support for these caregivers into a new era of technological advancement.

The founder of "Memory People," Rick Phelps, who was diagnosed with Early-Onset Alzheimer's in 2010, Skyped from his home in Ohio. (For those of you who are not familiar with Skype, it's a live video feed, much like what cartoon character "George Jetson" used when calling his boss.)

Rick talked about his daily symptoms and what he endures on a daily basis from this disease. This gave the caregivers in attendance a chance to ask about characteristics they have noticed becoming prevalent in their own loved ones.

I know from my own experience in caring for my dad, that time and time again I had wished that I could have asked him what was wrong.

One of the problems I had with this was that my father was a part of "The Greatest Generation," where pride and independence was such a strong part of his life. Every time I asked him if he was okay, he always told me he was fine; never complaining.

Of course, with Alzheimer's, the other trouble I had was even If he did answer the question, and I asked him again two minutes later, I would get a totally different response. I just wasn't able to get the information from him that I could have used to his benefit.

What's happening in this case is, here is this man, Rick Phelps, who is willing to convert his life into an open book to help others.

He's willing to answer personal questions the best he can, allowing caregivers to tend to their loved ones with an inside view of the disease.

He plans on doing these live video feeds with support groups all over the country. He even has some dates set up for broadcast in the U.K., at what is called "Memory Cafe's." These are made up of gatherings of those who are memory-impaired, and their family members, so they can meet and get a chance to discuss what is working for them and what is not. Happily, these meetings are now beginning to spread across the United States.

If you're interested in having Rick attend a support group in your area, you can contact his assistant at whileistillcan@gmail.com

Also, the Alzheimer's Family Organization should be commended for venturing out and trying something new and being "culturally relevant."

To locate one of their support groups here on the Gulf Coast and Central Florida, call (727) 848-8888 or toll-free (888) 496-8004.