Ferndale woman wins national Dementia Care honor

MICHELLE NOLAN - FOR THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

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FERNDALE - Sixty-four years after beginning her career in medicine and health, Ferndale's Madaleine Lippert still has what it takes to win a national award.

Lippert recently was named Dementia Care Professional of the Year for 2008. She received the honor from Dementia Care Professionals of America during the Alzheimer Society of Washington's spring workshop June 5 in Bellingham.

Lippert and her husband, Wayne, have lived in Whatcom County for 20 years. They have three grown children and two grandchildren.

DANNY GAWLOWSKI | THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

Retired as a nurse, Lippert is an educational consultant for the Bellingham-based Alzheimer Society of Washington, for which she was a board member for 12 years. She also runs support groups in Bellingham, Blaine and Lynden for people who care for others with dementia, plus a group for people in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease.

Question: How did you go from a nurse's aide to a certified geriatric mental health specialist?

Answer: I had my working papers at age 14 in Delaware and became a nurse's aide at a children's hospital. I spent much of my career in pediatrics. I earned my bachelor's and master's in nursing and, eventually, I developed an interest in geriatric dementia.

Q: Were you working full time when you moved here?

A: We were boaters and came from Southern California. Shortly after we moved here, I was hired to coordinate the geriatric mental health team at Whatcom Counseling and Psychiatric Counseling Clinic.

Q: Were you surprised to receive the national honor?

A: I was overwhelmed and astonished. I asked the caller, "Are you sure you have the right person?" It's very nice to be recognized for my skills, particularly with what I enjoy doing and something I know is helpful for folks.

Q: How did you get involved after working in pediatrics?

A: I first really became interested in it when I was director of nurses at Van Nuys (Calif.) Psychiatric Hospital in 1973-81. We had people of all ages there.

Q: How do you work with caregivers to help elderly people with dementia stay in their homes?

A: As long as caregivers can care for them, it's good for people with dementia to stay at home. We've identified seven stages of function with dementia, and at stage five it's time to leave the home.

Q: Are the caregivers you work with often family members?

A: It's generally someone who loves the person, such as a spouse. A good caregiver can really make their day. People with Alzheimer's need routine and a schedule that is much the same each day.

Q: You've been a caregiver for family members, right?

A: My mother and my sister. My mother had vascular dementia (caused by a stroke). Caregiving helped me accept the fact she wasn't going to be who she was, and it helped me become an efficient caregiver.

Q: Dementia covers a wide spectrum, doesn't it?

A: Yes. About 50 percent of cases are related to Alzheimer's. Others are caused by vascular conditions, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease and AIDS, if people live long enough. There are 60 or 70 different dementia conditions. Memory loss is the first thing involved in dementia.