Alzheimer’s angst advances for Austintown couple

By DENISE DICK

denise_dick@vindy.com

AUSTINTOWN

JoAnn and Barry Claycomb have maintained a positive attitude since his Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis, but the last year has been trying.

Last December, JoAnn was diagnosed with breast cancer.

“I was worried about how Barry was going to do,” she said.

Barry, 71, was diagnosed with

Alzheimer’s in 2009 and JoAnn, 69, is his caregiver. This marks the sixth year the township couple, who have been married for 50 years, has shared their story with Vindicator readers. November is both Alzheimer’s Awareness Month and National Family Caregiver’s Month.

“I don’t have time for cancer,” JoAnn said.

She underwent mastectomy surgery last February. Friends and family helped with meals and JoAnn’s care while she healed.

“We were just getting back on our feet and getting ready to go camping and Barry had been complaining of stomach pain,” JoAnn said.

A trip to the doctor and a few tests later and Barry was diagnosed with colon cancer in July. He underwent surgery in September and continues with intravenous therapy.

“But we’re both doing good,” JoAnn said.

They share a strong faith in God.

“We believe God is there for us,” JoAnn said.

The Alzheimer’s is progressing though.

“I’ve slowed way up,” Barry said. “I can’t go like I normally do.”

He can still carry on a conversation, dress and bathe himself, but sometimes he forgets people’s names or that he knows them at all.

They don’t fixate, but both Barry and JoAnn think about the future.

“I think about what’s going to be the next step,” Barry said.

“It’s scary,” JoAnn said.

She got a glimpse of that after Barry’s surgery. When he first came out of anesthesia, he couldn’t remember how to walk. Representatives at the Alzheimer’s Association Greater East Ohio Chapter in Canfield warned her that people suffering from dementia react differently to anesthesia.

If she hadn’t learned that from the association, she wouldn’t have been prepared. Even with the information, it still was unsettling.

Eventually, Barry returned to the same cognitive level as he had before surgery.

“People at the hospital wanted me to take him to a nursing home,” JoAnn said. “I said, ‘No way. He’s going home with me.’”

Both know a nursing home may be an eventuality, and they’ve visited a few facilities so that Barry has some say in where he will be.

JoAnn will make that difficult decision when Barry is no longer able to bathe himself or go to the bathroom on his own.

The couple stays active, spending time at the Austintown Senior Center. JoAnn takes painting and woodworking classes while Barry plays bingo or chats with other seniors. Activity is one thing the Claycombs wish more people afflicted with the disease and their caregivers would do.

Some people deny that a loved one is ill or go into seclusion after a diagnosis.

Both Barry and JoAnn urge people — both Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers — to educate themselves about the disease, its progression and what to expect.

Information helps, JoAnn said.

Barry still is well enough that JoAnn can leave him alone for a couple of hours at a time. When they visit a store, they can separate for short periods.

JoAnn used to be able to connect with him by cellphone, but Barry has forgotten how to use his, complicating the couple’s outings.

But life is too short to focus on what’s wrong or what could happen.

“If you spend time worrying you miss out on everything good you have going,” she said.