SARASOTA, Fla. — Town Square University Parkway is holding its second annual health expo on Saturday, Nov. 9.

More than 100 businesses that provide services for people living with dementia and related illnesses will be in attendance.

“We’re really excited this year because it’s come on the heels of the hurricane,” said Town Square University Parkway Co-owner Catherine McDermott. “We really learned a lot from our families and those in the community that need us that the resources that we’re going to be able to provide for them at the health expo is really coming at a time when folks really need these resources, this education.”

The free expo is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at 8450 Lockwood Ridge Road in Sarasota.

Arlene Locola, of Lakewood Ranch, said she went to last year’s expo.

“I just took a bag, and I threw everything in there,” Arlene said. “I went home, and I studied the resources.”

Arlene’s husband, Tom, attends the adult day center. She called it the perfect match.

“In addition to my having a little bit of a break. Tom is deliriously happy,” Arlene said.

Tom has Parkinsonism and mild cognitive impairment. Arlene is his caregiver and said Town Square has provided more than activities — it has created a second family for Tom.

“Tom comes out with two pretty girls on his arm,” she said, describing pickup at the end of the day. “They’re holding him, right? Two young, pretty girls, and then they’re doing a little dance. Then he goes, ‘Oh, you’re here.’”

“I just love the camaraderie of the people, and the staff is right there all the time to help you,” said Tom.

Like families throughout Tampa Bay, the couple braced for Hurricanes Helene and Milton. But for Arlene, there were worries many didn’t have to consider.

“It was anxiety-provoking because I was alone with Tom, and if something did happen, I would have to handle it really alone,” Arlene said. “The caregiving job is a lot of necessities of daily life. I have a lot of decisions to make, and it’s not as shared as it was. We’re married 31 years, so this changes.”

Arlene said she did look into staying in a special needs shelter in Manatee County but didn’t think it was the right fit.

“She says, ‘Is he on oxygen?’ ‘No.’ ‘Does he have any special medical needs?’ I said, ‘No, not really,’” she said, recalling a phone call from the county.

Bradenton resident Irene Rivera’s husband, Rich, also attends Town Square. She said he was already in respite memory care as she recovered from rotator cuff surgery when she learned she was going to have to leave her home, which is in a flood zone. Irene decided to extend his stay.

“I knew if he was home, evacuating with him was just going to be a nightmare. You know, trying to lock up the house and move things and just him getting anxious,” Rivera said. 

In addition to concerns like Arlene’s and Irene’s, McDermott said the disruption in routine that storms can bring can cause patients to decline. She told Spectrum News that’s what happened to a former patient of hers years ago.

“His wife and he had to go to a shelter during the hurricane, and he never got back to his baseline,” she said. “He was agitated and paranoid with her afterwards and eventually had to be placed. So, we really want to give families and caregivers the resources that they need and the education that they need to know how to get through these trying times with someone with dementia.”

The Alzheimer’s Association calls the disease a growing public health crisis in Florida. According to the association, 580,000 people ages 65 and older in the state are living with the disease. It estimates there are 840,000 family caregivers in Florida, with 1.3 billion hours of unpaid care provided.

“The stress of the caregiving role is much harder than the person who has dementia,” said McDermott, who’s also a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner who specializes in caring for patients with dementia.

When it comes to storm preparation, McDermott said she thinks classes offered at the expo will be helpful to caregivers.

“I think people understanding the disease process helps them understand how they need to change and navigate things that they’re doing with their loved one,” she said.

“Any presentation that’s given to help consumers is a blessing, because then you don’t have to do it on your own,” Arlene said.