September 10, 2019
Roger Marple, left, who lives with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, developed a system with his former Director Ryan Thomson that allowed him to finish up some projects that meant a lot to him before retiring from Alberta Health Services.
Story by Sherri Gallant
MEDICINE HAT — Roger Marple was getting a little worried about himself. He’d been feeling out of sorts for quite some time and was forgetting things. While he hoped his colleagues wouldn’t notice, his director Ryan Thomson had definitely begun to wonder about missed deadlines and puzzling incidents. It wasn’t like him, Thomson thought, but he put it down to a bit of forgetfulness.
But then… things got worse.
By 2015, Marple had been working for Alberta Health Services (AHS) for two decades. That’s when he got his diagnosis — early-onset Alzheimer’s disease — at the age of 56. Marple, the Site Services Supervisor for Stores at Medicine Hat Regional Hospital, feared he’d be forced to stop working.
“Leading up to the diagnosis I was having some trouble with memory,” recalls Marple. “I was overseeing southeast Alberta from Medicine Hat and Bow Island to Brooks, Bassano and Oyen; it was a fast-paced job. One day my boss asked me to send him a spreadsheet, and I looked it over three times before I sent it to make sure it looked good. Ninety seconds later he sent it back in an e-mail, asking ‘what the heck is this?’”
Marple re-opened the document and he was baffled by what he saw. “It didn’t make any sense to me at all, and yet a minute before that it had looked perfect. I’d just sent it. What was I going to say?”
Later, after his diagnosis, he dreaded having to reveal it. But when he shared the news with Thomson (Director of Contracting, Purchasing and Supply Management) his boss’s reaction took him by surprise.
For Thomson, the diagnosis actually came as something of a relief.
“It explained everything — just like that. It changed my perception of what he was or wasn’t doing — once I knew there was a very legitimate reason why he missed a deadline or forgot to do this or that.”
Together, the men devised systems for success. They used sticky notes, phone reminders, alarms and other memory techniques to remind Marple of meetings, names and procedures. It worked well until the early part of December, 2016, when Marple’s condition worsened — and his physician declared him unable to work.
“I wrote a note of support to say it was in Roger’s best interest to allow him to complete some things he really wanted to finish,” says Thomson.
“The physician OK’d it and Roger and I worked together for the remainder of that month — and he got to finish on his own terms. I think that was really important for Roger emotionally.”
Supporting an employee with dementia is fairly new ground, so Thomson sought guidance from the Alzheimer Society and others. “My message for a manager who’s supporting someone with a condition that may seem at the outset to be overwhelming — open up clear communication and dialogue to not just demonstrate verbal empathy, but to truly understand where they’re sitting and look for what they can positively contribute.
“I’d say look for the positive things that people can do, and have a plan. Clearly articulate what that plan is. And you have to agree that there will come a point where you will say ‘we’ve reached that point’ — and no one is caught by surprise. For Roger, we knew that was the end-game. Understanding what that end-game is in advance, does help with that planning.” Marple is passionate about sharing two key points with physicians everywhere.
“The first thing is that when a person is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or other dementia, doctors should make a referral to First Link right away,” he says, “and second — they should talk to the person about hope. AHS fully supports this national program. Doctors should be telling people that it is possible to live well with dementia, because if patients don’t hear that, they can sink into despair.”
First Link is an early intervention program that connects people living with dementia to the Alzheimer Society for services and support. A referral from a physician or other health professional allows for proactive contact with individuals and families from the time of diagnosis throughout the progression of the disease.
Thomson knew Marple was a sociable person, and believes the added time at work — with its social interactions and predictable routine — likely added years to his life.
“He came to work with passion every single day. Roger likes to give people a Forget-Me-Not tie from the Alzheimer Society. Anyone who wears the tie is showing their support for reducing dementia stigma in society. He has photos of himself with dignitaries from every level of government and they’re all wearing the tie.”
“Roger has accomplished more in two years in terms of helping people — more than he knows. And that will be his legacy.” Marple recalls his first day at home after he left his job at AHS.
“I got up in the morning and sat on the couch petting my cat. The job is 110 miles an hour and all of a sudden you’re at a dead stop. So from there, I just totally reinvented myself.”
Since then, Marple was invited to speak three times by Campus Alberta Neurosciences. The Alzheimer Society of Canada invited him to sit on an advisory board, which he says has changed his life completely.
“They have an advisory committee,” he adds. “One person from each province with dementia is chosen. From there you would not believe the work we’ve done. Alzheimer Canada knew I had a big interest in research and asked me to sit on the research policy committee. Then they asked me to sit on a committee of doctors — top researchers in Canada, on the Quality-of-Life review panel — as a citizen reviewer. They wanted to hear from someone with Alzheimer’s. I had a lot to say.”
