Meeting Community Members Where They Are

Story & Photography by Chelsea-Catherine Croom.

I could see the fire for helping people light up in Amanda Barlow Leitch’s eyes when she recalled one of the moments that had touched her the most, one of the moments that stands out for why she does what she does on a daily basis. She recalled the day she was sitting in her office and received a phone call from a woman. The woman spoke quickly and her voice was tired. She wanted to “have a conversation with someone.” Leitch met that with, “Of course. Could you come to the office to talk?”

But, the woman didn’t have time to come to sit with her in the office. She wanted to, she desperately wanted and needed to talk with someone, but she had to get back to care for her husband and only had two hours to see after all the things on her list.

“Right now I’m in Kroger,” she said.

Leitch started packing up her things, and answered her with “where in Kroger? Which aisle?”

“I’ll be right there.”

“That’s what we do,” she tells me as we sit and I’m enthralled in the story of her interactions with a woman who so desperately needed answers. “We meet you where you are.”

“We walked around Kroger until every question she could think of what answered,” said Leitch. “I was able to give her resources she needed to figure out the next steps she would take to care for her husband battling with an Alzheimer’s Disease diagnosis.”

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, and approximately 50 million people worldwide are living with dementia today.

Alzheimer’s is a progressive and terminal disease that starts in the brain, destroying memory and thinking skills and, eventually, the ability to carry out the simplest tasks of daily living.

Alzheimer’s Tennessee, Inc. formed In 1983, when a small group of families began to meet informally in efforts to understand and cope with the ravaging effects of Alzheimer’s disease. Together, the group was able to anticipate, confront, and solve seemingly insurmountable problems with a renewed sense of hope, confidence and accomplishment. The organization began providing services in East Tennessee as a non-profit organization in 1983.

Services and Resources provided by Alzheimer's Tennessee:

• Pastor/Clergy Training
• Law Enforcement Training
• Caregiver Educational Workshops
• Advocacy
• Free One-On-One Consultants
• Local Support Groups
• Research

The newest branch of the organization opened in West Tennessee this past July, and Leitch is proud to be in the communities of this region of the state sharing information and helping to give hope to Alzheimer’s patients and their families.

“Caregivers are so important to us, as well as those battling themselves with the disease,” she said. “Caregivers are often giving everything they have of themselves to do what is right for their loved ones, and they are scared and need reassurance as well as resources. We want to help make life better for them, too.”

Leitch shared that the non-profit wants to educate all of the state on what Alzheimer’s looks like and how they can plan for their futures - regardless of age.

“This is a disease that steals, and you don’t know who it’s going to affect. One of the best things we can do for people of all generations is to make them aware of this and let them know how to make a plan for themselves should they or their loved ones find themselves with this diagnosis.”

In addition to providing resources and meeting people where they are, the organization tries to put themselves in places where even those who don’t know what or who to look for to ask questions can find them. They recently did a tour of Walmart stores in the area. They set up a booth near the entrance and if people had questions, they could come up and ask, take informational brochures and walk away with a number of someone to call should they need it.

Alzheimer’s Tennessee, Inc. helps to set up support groups in counties all over the state, paying homage to how the group got its start and allowing families and caregivers to meet, ask questions and find peace in community.

“That’s what we’re all about, really,” Leitch said as we sipped our last bit of coffee together. “We want people to know they’re not alone - that they don’t have to face this disease alone. That we are here to care, and that we do care.”

For more information about Alzheimer’s Tennessee, more information on their programs, services or future events, please visit their website alztennessee.org or call locally at (731) 694-8065.

Reach out to Alzheimer's Tennessee for your pair of socks to participate in Sock Out Alzheimer's on November 22 by wearing them and sharing on social media with the hashtag #SockOutAlz.