“It’s about connecting, not correcting.”

Those five words, said Sarah Stephens, board president of Our Aging Services, a recently-created not-for-profit that advocates for senior citizens and those with developmental disabilities, encapsulate the just-unveiled “Mistaken Orders” program.

Before a group of about 25 participating patrons seated inside Stefari West Avenue restaurant along South West Avenue in Kankakee, there was a group of six “guest” servers.

They were a little unusual simply for the fact that the group was somewhat older than most waitresses.

They wore the apron where the order pads of paper and pencils are often tucked. The order takers walked around the tables, although somewhat quietly, to take drink and meal requests.

Not exactly an unusual occurrence in a restaurant.

But on this late Tuesday afternoon, the activity inside Stefari West was far from usual.

The half dozen guest servers were actually not waitresses at all. They were people affected by the rapidly growing condition known as dementia.

It is a condition which causes a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life, most notably, affecting memory, thinking and behavior.

To this point, there is no known cure.

And the number of people being affected by it is growing at a pace that can only be described as frightening.

According to health studies, Alzheimer’s disease, the most common type of dementia, is caused by a combination of factors, most notably age, genetics and lifestyle.

About 7.2 million Americans aged 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s. By 2060, some 35 years from now, estimates are projecting dementia-afflicted people to be more than double that total.

Leslee Schafer, of Kankakee, Our Aging Services founder, said it is crucial the public gains some meaningful acceptance of those dealing with the effects of dementia because it is a situation only growing in numbers.

She labeled the advancement of this comfort level as urgent.

Growing issue

The progression of illnesses associated with dementia is shocking.

“Right here in Kankakee County, if you’re over the age of 55, you have a 42% chance of developing dementia,” Schafer said. “Look to your left, look to your right – that’s nearly half of us. And this number is climbing drastically."

She s the total number of people with dementia worldwide is projected to be 73 million by 2030. This number, she said, stood at 57 million in 2020. This increase would represent a growth rate of 28%.

“We are facing a public health crisis,” she said.

She said it is rising at a pace that the caregiving workforce cannot keep up with. Families are stretched thin, professional caregivers are burning out and the shortage is only growing.

Schafer, along with Cindy DeGroot of Kankakee County, and Dementia Friendly America, is working to reignite the efforts to make the Kankakee County region a Dementia Friendly Community.

The Dementia Friendly Community campaign officially kicks off in January.

The campaign started before the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic, of course, knocked the initiative off the table.

What does the campaign hope to accomplish? Several things.

First, the campaign seeks to educate the public through efforts such as the project inside the Stefari restaurant.

They plan to work with Kankakee, Bradley and Bourbonnais businesses initially to offer a one-hour dementia education and training session.

Lastly, businesses that complete the training will be recognized as Dementia Friends. These locations will receive a window cling and digital badge to display as a Dementia Friendly Business.

‘Sip happens’

The organization has taken on the phrase “sip happens.” It is, of course, a play on the two-word phrase which also starts with an “s” and ends with “happens.”

Simply put, it means people are not perfect – especially those with dementia.

If someone dealing with the early stages of the illness makes a simple mistake while working, the world will not come to an end.

“Sip happens – but so does change," Schafer explained. “And together, we’re making it happen right here in Kankakee.”

Stephens, who was helping a server with dementia during the program, expressed a rather matter-of-fact statement.

She said, “Dementia knows no demographic. It knows no status. It knows no income level.”

Those statements mean all are susceptible. And as the United States age demographic continues to change, it can have a great impact.

By 2035, according to the U.S. Census Bureau data, there will be more people in the U.S. age 65 or older (77 million) than those age 18 or younger (76.5 million).

The country is growing in age. The illness will be greater.

This effort hopes empathy and understanding will grow, too.