By VANESSA McCRAY
TRAVERSE CITY -- Mary Ellen Geist left New York City and her radio career to help care for her father, stricken with Alzheimer's disease.
Woody Geist was diagnosed in 1994 with the progressive, memory-destroying brain disorder. There had been signs.
"Suddenly, my father started getting lost driving home," Geist said.
For years, Geist's mother cared for him. But in 2005, Geist quit the job that had defined her and returned to Michigan to assist. It was her own decision, and one she doesn't regret.
"I sort of realized what a difference I could make in their lives," Geist said. "Not all adult children should come home and live with their parents, but I really liked finding out that I could take care of someone else."
She chronicled her experiences as a caregiver in a book published this month titled "Measure of the Heart: A Father's Alzheimer's, A Daughter's Return." Geist will sign copies at 6 p.m. Friday at Boyne Country Books in Boyne City and at 1 p.m. Saturday at Traverse City's Horizon Books.
The author grew up near Detroit, went to Kalamazoo College and landed her first broadcast journalism job at a Petoskey radio station. Her family has a cottage on Walloon Lake. She spent more than two decades away, diving into a career as a reporter in Los Angeles, a morning radio anchor in San Francisco and later as an anchor for New York's WCBS radio. In her book, Geist described the moment she decided to leave it all and move back in with her parents.
"I got hired as an anchor at a top-rated radio station in New York. I talked to millions of people each day. But it didn't matter anymore. I only wanted to talk to two: my father and my mother," she wrote.
More than 4.5 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease, said Chris Weaner, regional director of the Greater Michigan Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. It's most common among people age 65 and older, but it can hit people in their 40s, Weaner said.
"Measure of the Heart" details how Geist and her mother Rosemary adapted to life with an Alzheimer's patient. Meals, chores and communication all changed. Geist's father would forget names, misplace groceries and use the wrong utensils at mealtime. But, he remembers "The Lord's Prayer," and he becomes more alert when she sings with him.
It's key to maintain a relationship with an Alzheimer's patient, Weaner said. What clicks for one person with Alzheimer's may not work for another.
"We have to learn how to live in their world," Weaner said. "We want to make that life for that person, you know, wonderful for them, because we really don't know what they are thinking."
In January, Geist said her father moved into an institution, but they took him out about a month and a half ago because he refused to walk and eat, she said. Since his return home, her father gained 12 pounds and is more active. He needs to have music playing all the time and has thanked the family for keeping him alive, Geist said.
"I think that we've concluded, for now anyway, that he belongs with us," she said.
Not so long ago, Alzheimer's was a "hidden disease" looked upon by some as a mental illness, Weaner said. Now, people are more aware and accepting of the disease, and there are resources for patients and caregivers. Geist said children who are thinking about taking care of a parent should make sure they aren't giving up "too much" before they make the leap. It's common for caregivers to "feel trapped" and for their other relationships to suffer, she said.
"I am not recommending that everyone do this, but I am recommending that people follow their hearts," Geist said.
A Memory Walk to raise funds for area Alzheimer's programs is scheduled for Sept. 20 at F&M; Park in Traverse City. Registration starts at 9:30 a.m. For more information about the event, go to the Web site www.alzgmc.org.
