Hair cuts for Haiti: Qualicum salon does its part

Virginia Worcester opened up the doors of her Borealis Hair Studio in Qualicum Beach Sunday, January 24 and did a whole lot of hair cutting raising just over $800 to help the earthquake victims of Haiti.

Worcester is donating all of the proceeds from the day to the Canadian Red Cross.

She said since the Canadian government is matching donations dollar for dollar the cash raised on Sunday will go even further.

When Worcester invited men to come in for a $15 hair cut between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. she had no idea how overwhelming the response would be.

“It’s been awesome. We did over 12 haircuts in just the first hour.

“People were waiting outside when we got here. It’s been pretty nuts,” she admitted.

Worcester along with stylist Andrea O’Hare washed and styled dozens of heads of hair.

The men were treated to snacks donated by Quality Foods in Qualicum Beach, beverages compliments of Monique Bourgault of Vancouver Island Brewery and got to watch some NFL football on a big screen TV on loan from the The Source in Qualicum Beach.

Worcester said back when hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005, she organized a fundraiser that generated over $20,000 for the victims of that disaster and when her daughter asked her what she was going to do for Haiti she came up with the idea of a hair cut marathon.

“I thought it was the best way to make the most amount of money in a short time.”

Worcester also challenged other Parksville and Qualicum Beach businesses to donate to Haitian relief and says she is thrilled with how many have joined the cause.

A new study released this month, Alzheimer Awareness Month, reminds people not only are costs increasing but caregivers are also suffering from the effects of dementia.

“Caregivers tend to put themselves second,” said Lois Hayes, who has been helping her husband Sam since he was diagnosed about two-and-a-half years ago.

“When he was diagnosed I was very scared, I felt my whole world was collapsing,” she explained.

“I spent the first two weeks crying until realized that wasn’t going to help.”

Hayes brushed herself off pretty quickly and got busy figuring out how to adjust, soon having to deal with becoming a one car family and before long having to keep tabs on her husband like a toddler.

“You really have to keep your eyes, or especially your ears, on them,” she explained of having to listen for strange things, or needing to help him with the basic order of tasks.

Sam was eventually diagnosed with Pick’s disease, or Pick’s bodies dementia, a specific type which is a more focused, frontal and temporal lobe brain function loss than the more generalized and more common Alzheimer’s.

Dementia is an umbrella term for a wide array of brain function loss, of which Alzheimer’s is the largest category, Lois explained of her husband’s medical state, in which she has clearly educated herself.

Even specific dementia diagnoses can manifest differently depending on personality and other poorly-understood factors, Lois said, pointing out her husband still appears to be developing new, longer-term memories but has virtually no short-term memory.

“He has a very poor sense of logic and arranging things in progression or sequencing,” she said, meaning simple activities like dressing or sweeping can be difficult.

Sam also has trouble reading because he can’t remember what he just read.

He often doesn’t know what they did this morning, but he will sometimes remember it a week later, she said.

Lois, a retired teacher, does a lot of research on-line and is a big proponent of support groups, along with what medical services are available, such as the daycare program Sam attends twice a week at Cokely Manor.

Her 72-year-old husband also still curls twice a week, which he has been doing since he was a little kid.

“He does very well, his team likes to have him there and he’s very accurate, but they have to point out which colours to go for,” she said.

Lois needs those times without Sam around to be able to do the chores and errands she can’t get done while she’s looking after him.

Like most caregivers of people with dementia, Lois has had to look to her friends and loved ones more than she might initially have wanted.

“They have their own lives and problems to deal with,” she said, but added she is very lucky to have the support she does and she knows when she really needs help there’s always someone she can call.

A recent report from the Alzheimer Society of Canada, called Rising Tide: The Impact of Dementia on Canadian Society, is raising warnings about the coming increase in dementia rates due mostly to the country’s aging demographics, and the impact that will have not only on the medical system but on caregivers like Lois.

The report says the number of dementia cases in Canada will more than double in 30 years to 1.25 million, with total costs reaching $153 billion a year. It suggests ways to help reduce the impact of dementia, including: promoting healthier lifestyles, supporting and educating caregivers and introducing care advocates, to guide families through the system.

More support for caregivers would of course be appreciated by Lois who said she was happy to talk to the media about such a personal subject because “the more the public and the authorities hear about it, the better chance there is of finding ways to deal with it.”

She stressed it is very important for caregivers to care for themselves.

She is very aware of how much more her husband depends on her now and she knows she has to be in a physically and mentally healthy state to do what she can for him.

She plans to keep Sam at home as long as she physically can, which she feels is the best thing for him and she’s aware that means she has to be conscious of her own mental and emotional state.

“You learn how to handle yourself and how to pick up the phone, I learned I can ask for help,” she said.

Lois said one of the most important things for people with loved ones in the earliest stages of any kind of dementia is to pay close attention and document odd behaviour to talk to your, or their, doctor about.

She said after the diagnosis she began thinking back and realizing it had been developing for years but she just hadn’t put it together. She said the sooner a loved one is properly diagnosed the sooner you can start dealing with it, get into a support group for yourself and find what services are available for your loved one.

There are services and support groups available in the Oceanside area. For more information, or to read more about the recent dementia report visit www.alzheimer.ca.