019: Humanizing Alzheimer’s Dementia – A Caretaker’s Perspective With Vivian Ngang

Over 2  million people lived with dementia in sub-Saharan Africa in 2015 and numbers are projected to nearly double every 20 years, increasing to almost 3.5 million by 2030 and 7.6 million by 2050.* 

My late grandfather died of a broken heart, but he also had mild symptoms of Alzheimer’s dementia. That was my first encounter with this disease and I remember as a kid, struggling to understand why a grown man will forget things so easily or walk out of the house without knowing where he was headed, and getting lost. I remember most people calling it “Old age” and we were made to understand that it was a right of passage for every old person, and that made me even more scared to get old. 

Our community has normalized the ideology of defining people’s lives by the disease they are battling – in this case, Alzheimer’s Dementia. We tend to easily forget that these were humans – family, friends, etc – behind the disease. So this week, we discuss Alzheimer’s Dementia from a caretaker’s perspective. We will be having Vivian Ngang (aka Aunty Vivian) discuss her experience while taking care of her lovely mother (Mama Lucy) who battled this disease until her demise.

This episode is heavy, emotional, and educational, and sheds more light on how we can help our senior relatives encountering this disease. Hope you learn and pick some key points from this episode – remember to share within your circle.

* Data From Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI)

Meet Our Guest :

Vivian Ngang is a Registered Nurse with a Doctorate degree in Nursing and a Master’s degree in Nursing Science. She is a Clinical Nurse Manager in one of the hospitals or one of the units at the Veterans Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. She has been married for 25 years – blessed with four beautiful children and one grandchild.

Contact Our Guest:

• E-mail: drmangye2020@gmail.com 
• Facebook: Vivian Ngang

Things You Will Learn in This Episode: 

[00:01 – 03:00] Introduction

• Getting to know our guest

[03:00 – 30:00] Remembering Mama Lucy & The Beginning Of Alzheimer’s Dementia

• Who is Mama Lucy?
• Mama Lucy getting diagnosed with dementia
• The timeline of the disease and how it progressed
• Sending her to a nursing home and bringing her home
• Some of the challenges faced taking care of Mama Lucy

[30:00 – 55:00] Events That Happened Before Mama Lucy’s Passing

• Sending Mama Lucy’s back home to Cameroon
• The few weeks before her passing
• How taking care of Mama Lucy impacted Aunty Vivian
• The impact Mama Lucy’s death had on the family

[55:00 – 1:15:00] Elaborating On Some Important Key Points

• Celebrating Mrs. Vivian Ngang
• Researching the disease, changing diets, and other important things you can do for dementia patients
• How Aunty Vivian improved her mental health being a primary caregiver
• Advice to our community and people taking care of dementia patients

[1:15:00 – 1:25:00] Final Words

• Aunty Vivian’s Final Words
• Anyoh’s Final Words

Quotes

“There’s this stigma that someone having Alzheimer’s means they’re crazy which makes most Africans not want to talk about it so when I started sharing how my mum was dealing with hers, it inspired others to share how their parents were dealing with the same disease. So we must talk and share with others in order to raise awareness and educate our community.” – Vivian Ngang

“I want all your listeners to know that God won’t give them challenges they don’t the strength to handle so they must keep on and not give up.” – Vivian Ngang

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Check out our website www.livingafricanpodcast.com for more resources and to learn more. Connect with host, Anyoh: You can connect with Anyoh on Facebook (@anyohf), Instagram (@anyohfombad), and Twitter (@anyohfombad).

Thank you.