Throughout his life my father, Leonard DeVito, was very physically active and competitive. Had his mentor not suggested pharmacy school he would have chosen coaching. He played competitive basketball as an adult, golfed at every opportunity as a ten handicap, took yoga, worked out and accepted every invitation to alumni vs. current student sporting events.
A fond but painful memory is his enrolling himself for New York Yankees Fantasy Camp, despite being several years into Alzheimer’s. I was drafted as a last minute chaperone and encountered him losing his watch and wallet daily, taking the field at the wrong time and mistakenly entering the Legends locker room where he inadvertently donned former Yankee Roy White’s pants. Nonetheless he led his team in batting average because he was the only camper on his team to have gone to the batting cages all year in preparation as the camp materials recommended.
When Alzheimer’s really started to take hold of my Dad he was never in better physical condition. The medication he was on, combined with less ability to play the sports he loved and his changing food tastes from the disease caused him to gain a good amount of weight. He went from a size medium to an extra large.
His neurologist recommended physical exercise, but couldn’t offer anything specifically appropriate beyond walking. For months my mom walked with him. He continued to gain weight and lose mobility. Finally walking didn’t seem safe. He would occasionally fall and my mom feared being far from home with him injured. The lack of physical exercise also began to take a toll on my mother. They were both in their late 60’s at this stage. Prior to the illness, my Mother had golfed and taken kickboxing lessons.
Fortunately we had the resources and space to build a home gym for my Mom and Dad. I consulted his physician, local Alzheimer’s caregivers and the Alzheimer’s Assn for suggestions on gym configuration and equipment appropriate to his condition. Despite ubiquitous recommendations to encourage physical activity, none of these sources could offer any advice about designing an appropriate gym or fitness regimen. I consulted a friend that owned an Inc. 5000 personal training and fitness company, but his well intentioned suggestions were inappropriate – and dangerous – for a man in my Father’s condition.
Ultimately Google brought me to Lisa Dougherty, Founder & CEO, Medical Fitness Network. She was generous with her time and appropriate with her suggestions – without compensation. She was conscious that there was a knowledge gap and she was sincere in wanting to address it. She also was genuinely concerned for my Dad, who was a coast away. They would never meet, but Lisa’s advice enabled me to establish a home gym for my parents so they could improve their quality of life in difficult times.
I remarked at the time how difficult it had been to find information, and I am delighted Lisa and her organization are picking up the gap between where great organizations like the Alzheimer’s Association leave off and assisted living care providers start. There is a real gap, and it needs to be filled to combat this terrible disease.
