Story by Chris Graham
It didn’t use to be the case that we could consider Alzheimer’s a pervasive senior health issue, if only because it didn’t use to be the case that many people lived long enough for it to be an issue.
Which might be why the Alzheimer’s Association is such a relative newcomer to the advocacy scene, founded in 1980 and still learning the ropes in the advocacy game in a lot of ways.
“We’re just hitting our stride in the last few years in terms of helping people understand that we exist, what we offer, and most importantly that Alzheimer’s is a disease, and that it’s not just a normal part of aging,” said Sue Friedman, the president and CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association of Central and Western Virginia, which coordinates Alzheimer’s-related education and service programs and activities in a 51-county region of Virginia.
You might know the Alzheimer’s Association for its Memory Walks – the local chapter has two on the schedule in the Valley in the coming weeks, Sept. 12 in Staunton and Oct. 10 in Harrisonburg – but that’s just the public face of the nonprofit.
The Alzheimer’s Association also runs programs like Memory U, which gives family members and caregivers the basics of “what is Alzheimer’s, what are the stages, what should I be on the lookout for, how can I have less stress, etc.,” Friedman said. And the Confident Caregiver program, which takes Memory U a step further by “providing resources, providing respite time, providing new techniques, if you will, new strategies, to more confidently and in a more satisfying way be with the loved one who has Alzheimer’s,” Friedman said.
The Just Rewards program is a nice touch. “In Just Rewards, we pamper that caregiver up one side and down the other. We give them massages and free lunch, they get to talk to other caregivers. The big thing is to give them the opportunity to go out and indulge themselves. As a way to rejuvenate and relax and give them a break,” Friedman said.
The Memory Walks raise money for Alzheimer’s research – $13 million in research was funded nationally by the Alzheimer’s Association in 2008 – and raise awareness of Alzheimer’s.
“The Walks are a wonderful opportunity for us to give people a research update, they’re a fundraising opportunity, but I think the best thing for us from Memory Walk is the opportunity before, during and after the event to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s and its impact on our communities,” Friedman said.
Memory Walks
Sept. 12, 8 a.m., Frontier Culture Museum, Staunton
Oct. 10, 8 a.m., Massanetta Springs Camp and Conference Center, Harrisonburg
Info: www.alz.org/cwva
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