FAYETTEVILLE -- About 58,000 residents in the state 65 and older live with Alzheimer's disease or dementia, according to the director of the Arkansas chapter of the national Alzheimer's Association.
Pat Perroni became one of them eight years ago. She was diagnosed at 66. Her mother died from Alzheimer's disease.
Her husband, Sam Perroni, said he doesn't know how to describe the sadness of seeing someone you have loved for more than half a century slowly drift away. The couple's 54th wedding anniversary is Thursday.
One day, Pat looked at Sam and asked, "Have you seen my husband lately?"
The onset of Alzheimer's disease impacts everyone in a family. Pat was their daughter's best friend. Now Pat doesn't recognize her.
For the last three years, Sam Perroni has organized a youth baseball tournament at his home-built Little League field outside Fayetteville's western city limits. The tournament has raised about $11,000 for the Alzheimer's Association thus far, particularly for its research to find a cure.
Perroni said he hopes this year's event, held Saturday and today, will raise another $10,000 with about 1,000 attendees.
"My wife is too far advanced for anything but a miracle to improve her condition," Perroni, who is hearing impaired, said via email. "But I wanted to raise money for research so that others may benefit from treatment when the disease first hits."
Play ball!
Perroni, a retired federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of Arkansas, built the field on 8 acres in 2014 as a place for his two grandsons to practice and have scrimmage games. It has a Little League-sized diamond with an electronic scoreboard, foul poles, concession stand and dugouts. Children who get tired of baseball can ride horses on the property.
The field gets use year-round -- 11 youth teams, with players ages 7 to 11, have used the field regularly this year, he said. Five teams were scheduled to play for a championship this weekend.
Perroni grew up in central Illinois. As a kid, he used to walk around neighborhoods for hours looking for a place to play, he said.
"After a couple of years, I discovered there was a need, so I opened it up to teams for a practice field," Perroni said. "There is a shortage of practice fields around here."
Perroni was quite the ballplayer in his youth. He said he pitched a two-hit shutout in 1956 -- though he may be the only one to remember it today. He described his playing days as some of the best times of his life.
The field is helping youngsters experience some of those best times for themselves. It is the perfect size for 10-year-old players, said Kurt Wing, a coach who lives in Farmington and serves as tournament team coordinator for the event. They usually look pretty impressed, he said.
The field came especially handy during the covid-19 pandemic, Wing said. Youth baseball across the region was canceled during the 2020 season, so players were able to play some games at Perroni Field, he said.
What started as an afternoon with three teams and a couple of games has blossomed into a full-blown event, Wing said.
"People who've never been there or never heard of it, they hear the idea and I don't think they understand. They think I mean it's some backstop out in someone's field," he said. "There's a scoreboard -- it's the real deal. I think a lot of people would like to have a ball field in their backyard. It's something pretty special."
Making strides
People such as Perroni who embrace the importance of sharing how Alzheimer's has impacted their families serve a crucial role in the fight to end the disease, said Kirsten Dickins, executive director of the Arkansas chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. The association relies heavily on volunteer support, she said.
Families who have loved ones with Alzheimer's often refer to the experience as "the long goodbye," Dickins said. It feels like losing a person twice after they die, she said.
There are about 180,000 unpaid caregivers for Alzheimer's patients in the state. The association and its volunteers work to provide resources, education and support to those people, Dickins said. That support can take the form of respite caretakers, who give a person's primary caretaker a break to take care of themselves, she said. Other support is financial, like what Perroni is doing with his baseball tournaments, she said.
It's an exciting time in Alzheimer's disease research, Dickins said. There's a new class of drugs coming out that address the underlying biology of the disease instead of just the symptoms, she said.
Early detection is key in treating the disease, Dickins said. Drugs today only work for people in the early stages, she said.
"People don't talk to their family or their loved ones or their care provider early when they notice cognitive changes. We tend to say, 'I'm just tired,'" Dickins said. "There is still a lot of stigma around Alzheimer's. It's the essence of who you are. I don't think any of us are prepared or feel comfortable about facing the reality that maybe your cognition and your memory function is changing."
Although it may be too late for Pat Perroni to find a cure, her husband is optimistic about the future.
"If all of us can do a little to help the scientists, I am confident they will find a cure, or at least a way to slow down the progress once the diagnosis has been made," Sam Perroni said. "The association has made an impact in the area of research. I wanted to help them."
Samuel Perroni of Fayetteville welcomes guests Saturday Aug. 19, 2023 to the third annual Perroni Field invitational. Five Little League teams competed in the event. Games continue today (SUNDAY AUG 20). Perroni, retired federal prosecutor, has hosted a charity youth baseball event at his homemade Little League diamond to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association for three years now. Perroni’s wife, Pat, suffers from Alzheimer’s and the two-day event has a fundraising goal of $10,000. Visit nwaonline.com/photo for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/J.T. Wampler)
The NWA Sox take on the Arkansas Hornets Saturday Aug. 19, 2023 during the third annual Perroni Field invitational. Five Little League teams competed in the event. Games continue today (SUNDAY AUG 20). Samuel Perroni, retired federal prosecutor, has hosted a charity youth baseball event at his homemade Little League diamond to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association for three years now. Perroni’s wife, Pat, suffers from Alzheimer’s and the two-day event has a fundraising goal of $10,000. Visit nwaonline.com/photo for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/J.T. Wampler)None
Not a normal part of aging
Alzheimers disease is the most common cause of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other cognitive abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life, according to the Alzheimers Association. The disease is not a normal part of aging. The greatest known risk factor is increasing age, and the majority of people with Alzheimers disease are 65 and older.
Alzheimers is a progressive disease, where dementia symptoms gradually worsen over a number of years. In its early stages, memory loss is mild, but with late-stage Alzheimers, individuals lose the ability to carry on a conversation and respond to their environment.
On average, a person with Alzheimers disease lives four to eight years after diagnosis, but can live as long as 20 years, depending on other factors.
If you or someone you know is experiencing symptoms of Alzheimers disease, the association has a 24/7 free hotline for assistance at 1-800-272-3900.
Source: Alzheimers Association