Providing Care for Veterans with Alzheimer's and Dementia

According to the story, After serving in the Army during the Vietnam era, Rufus Cuffee had a nearly 40 year long career at the Pentagon. His spouse Diane says he was a supervisor in heating and refrigeration, and was there on September 11, 2001.

Diane Cuffee: 9/11 he was there, he left that morning for a class. The very area that the plane went in, that’s where he was supposed to have the meeting but they moved the meeting further down the hall and not long after that the plane hit that area.

She says within a month, she noticed signs of PTSD.

Diane Cuffee: He wasn’t doing his showers like he usually do, changing his clothes. He would go into the bathroom and stay in there for about five minutes, come out, go into the closet and stay in the closet for about five minutes with the door shut. This was an ongoing thing.

When things worsened they went to a doctor.

Diane Cuffee: He did the MRI that showed he was in the early stage of dementia.

Diane was surprised with this diagnosis. At the time her husband was only 53 years old. Eight years after this diagnosis his disease progressed to a point where he could not longer do his job and retired. Diane needed help.

Diane Cuffee: It was rough, I had to go through it, I felt alone, by myself!

Two years ago Diane Cuffee brought her husband Rufus to veterans care facility Sitter and Barfoot.

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