Griswold's fight

George Griswold of Winston-Salem, whose funeral will be Monday, was a Renaissance man who died of complications from Alzheimer's, a progressive, neurological disease of the brain. But he never surrendered to it. His story underscores the urgent need to find a cure for this heartbreaking disease.

The last of Griswold's 90 years were marred by the disease. He had been a writer and journalist; producer; executive in advertising, public relations and marketing; photographer; artist and pilot, and community volunteer. He was also a husband, great-grandfather, mentor and friend. "He was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in late 2007 and it slowly took his brilliance and intelligence away," according to his obituary, but his family took solace in the fact that he recognized them until the end -- and that he did not have to endure the last stages of the illness.

The obituary noted that he fought the disease with courage and patience. He and his wife, Nan, candidly shared their story of love and tears in a column and series in the Journal.

Similar stories are played out across America every day. As many as 5 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease. Those in the early stages are aware that they're losing their memories, and they're helpless to stop the process. For those in the latter stages, the disease may be hardest on their friends and family. Besides the memory loss and confusion, there is irritability and aggression, language breakdown and withdrawal.

Programs such as the Elizabeth and Tab Williams Adult Day Center in Winston-Salem and the respite program at Centenary United Methodist Church are crucial. They provide comfort to those who have Alzheimer's and help for their loved ones. Many rural areas of Northwest North Carolina don't have such programs, even as more people retire there. The aging baby-boomer generation is expected to produce millions more cases of Alzheimer's nationwide.

Medical advances, including those in stem-cell research and drugs, could one day ease the suffering, if not lead to an all-out cure. With our aging population, support of Alzheimer's research should be an imperative nationwide and here at home -- in memory of George Griswold, and in honor of all those still living with this crippling disease.

Preserving history

The debate among the Forsyth County commissioners over whether the River John Conrad House should keep the historic designation it received in 1981 has made one point clear: It's extremely hard to remove such designations. And in a time when we're rapidly losing our historic structures, it should be.

The designation was given because of the property's early 19th-century rural architecture and its connection to the original owner, John Conrad, who ran a ferry across the Yadkin River and built the house about 1805.

Monday night, commissioners postponed a decision on the house to see if a compromise can be reached, the Journal's Wesley Young reported. Owners Kerry Link and Nadja Lesko want to add on to the house, but can't do it until they have the historic designation removed. Link argued that the changes made in the 1980s were so extensive that he and Lesko were sold a false bill of goods about its historical significance when they bought the house.

Opponents of dropping the designation say that the exterior alterations made in the 1980s were to restore the house to its original state and that the couple knew when they bought the house in 1989 that it had restrictions on changes.

Neither side indicated much hope that a compromise can be reached. But if it's not, commissioners will likely vote to revoke the historic designation. Perhaps the Forsyth County Historic Resources Commission could allow the house owners to perform some renovation work beyond the bounds of the designation, but on a one-time basis. It would be worth it to keep that designation intact.

Preparing for fires

Two area fires in recent months carry a message: More must be done to prepare for fires at the homes of the elderly and disabled.

Naomi Slate, an 84-year-old blind woman, died in the most recent fire. Flames broke out in her Walnut Cove home, the result of a rotating electric heater sitting too close to a draped tablecloth, according to Frankie Burcham, the Stokes County fire marshal. Although Slate knew the layout of her house, Burcham told the Journal's Lisa O'Donnell, she most likely was not aware that the heater was too close to combustible material.

The other fire was at the Alder's Point apartment complex in Winston-Salem in July. None of the elderly or disabled residents were killed or seriously injured.

But even with fire alarms going off, firefighters found some residents still in the building, unaware of the fire. It displaced nearly 100 residents, most of whom went to a temporary shelter that, despite the best efforts of Red Cross volunteers, lacked adequate bedding for elderly, handicapped people, even for one night.

Fortunately, Stokes County has started a fire-safety program to help people with physical disabilities. The Winston-Salem Fire Department does educational programs as well. One at Alder's Point, before the fire, probably helped alleviate the damage there. But more fire-safety programs are needed, as well as better plans to house the elderly and disabled victims of disasters.