By Jude Roberts
As a caregiver for a loved
one with Alzheimer’s, the difficulties of getting their
attention and having them understand you and the professional
members of the caregiving team can be a very real challenge.
Along with these issues, what if there was also a communication
gap caused not only by the disease, but by a language barrier?
What if your loved one speaks another language other than
English? You might be able to understand them, but other members
on the caregiving team may not, and may not be able to
effectively communicate back to them. Because of this, an
experience with a doctor or professional caregiver can be very
scary and frustrating for a loved one. With the foresight
and understanding that can only come from years of experience,
research, and compassion, the Alzheimer’s Association recognized
the ever-emerging need for a translation service available to
family caregivers, their loved ones, and the professional
members of the caregiving team.
Cathy Sewell, Director of
Client Services at the Alzheimer’s Association’s Headquarters in
Chicago, says the “language line” was a natural progression
created from a market study done in 1999. Originally, the study
was comprised of caregiver feedback concerning the need for a
“24-7” Contact Center, available for both family and
professional caregivers throughout the country. Cathy says the
translation service came about “because of the Alzheimer’s
Association’s diversity initiative to be culturally competent,
reaching out to the under-serviced throughout the country.” As
part of the regular staff at the “24-7” Contact Center, there
are care consultants who act as translators for Chinese,
Vietnamese, and Spanish caregivers, but the service doesn’t stop
there. Since the inception of the national “24-7” Contact Center
2-1/2 years ago, and with 150 different languages spoken
throughout the country aside from English, Cathy went about the
daunting task of creating an even more extensive translation
service for family and professional caregivers. One of the
requirements the Alzheimer’s Association had was to find a
language service with the ability to translate the word
“dementia” with compassion, and that this word needn’t mean
“crazy” in any language.
The Alzheimer’s Association
chose NetworkOmni Multilingual Communication,as their partner.
NetworkOmni is a global language solutions company with
headquarters in California. NetworkOmni immediately made a great
impression on the Alzheimer’s Association.
“They weren’t only easy to work with, but they took a true
interest in learning all about Alzheimer’s disease, wanting to
know how they could help us better serve caregivers and the
Alzheimer’s Community,” says Cathy, “and their personnel took
the time and effort to inform their interpretive staff of all
our concerns regarding the need for a compassionate translation
service, along with the need for extreme sensitivity when
dealing with caregivers and their loved ones.” The service is
free to family and professional caregivers, with the Alzheimer’s
Association absorbing the entire cost. According to Cathy, “The
Alzheimer’s Association was able to work out a monthly, fixed,
flat-fee. We also pay for anything over and above the usual,
monthly rate.”
The “language line” works
quite simply by organizing a three-way, conference call between
the family or professional caregiver, a care consultant from the
Alzheimer’s Association, and an interpreter from NetworkOmni. A
caregiver calls the national Contact Center, speaks with a care
consultant and requests the translation service, stating the
specific language that is needed. The care consultant then calls
NetworkOmni, with the caregiver still on the line, making sure
that everyone is connected to one another.
One story that illustrates
the service concerns Alex Karski and his 86 year-old,
Polish-speaking mother who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s
disease just last year. For the past 20 years, she’s enjoyed the
independence of living alone in Chicago, and still wants to
maintain her routine. In order for her to remain independent for
as long as possible, her son hired a Polish-speaking caregiver
to aide his mother with the daily tasks of bathing, dressing,
food preparation, and keeping up with medications. However,
since the caregiver had no formal training in Alzheimer’s or
dementia care, she found the man’s mother more and more
difficult to work with, and she was unsure of how to handle the
increasing demands that the disease was placing upon her. Alex
noticed that the caregiver was becoming frustrated and
short-tempered when dealing with his mother. He called the
Alzheimer’s Association and a care consultant contacted
NetworkOmni and conferenced-in a Polish-speaking interpreter.
Between the care consultant and the interpreter, they were able
to educate the caregiver on the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease,
giving her several suggestions and communication tips. It was
exactly what the caregiver needed, and since knowing that she
has a place to turn to at all times, it has made all the
difference in her ability to better care for and understand
someone with Alzheimer’s disease.
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