Chuck Robley’s mother had dementia and spent several years in a nursing home. Now, he has been diagnosed with dementia, too.
“I know what could be coming just from experiencing his mother, so it’s very hard,” said Chuck’s wife, Terri Robley.
The couple attended the ADRC Solstice Alzheimer’s Memory Walk on June 21 at Franklin Park in Shawano.
“Yesterday (June 20) was the longest day (of sunlight), and people with Alzheimer’s live every day as the longest day, like it never ends,” said Ericka Kowalkowski, one of two dementia care specialists with ADRC of the Wolf River Region.
ADRC stands for Aging and Disability Resource Center, and the Wolf River Region includes Shawano, Menominee and Oconto counties, and the Stockbridge-Munsee Community.
June is National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month.
“The Alzheimer’s Association puts on fundraising events throughout the United States,” Kowalkowski said. “The ADRC doesn’t accept money, so we just doing an awareness event for the community.”
The event, which featured walks of 1 mile and 2 miles, also included free T-shirts for the first 50 walkers, vendors from the community to provide information to help people stay independent, a commemorative message board, face painting and luminary creations.
“Alzheimer’s is the leading type of dementia,” Kowalkowski said. “Dementia is the umbrella term. There are many types of dementia. There’s frontotemporal, Lely body, vascular and Alzheimer’s. All have different causes, but they have the same end result. They lose the capacity to communicate and function in daily living.”
Worldwide, more than 55 million people live with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia.
“Fifty percent of the people over the age of 85 will have some sort of dementia,” Kowalkowski said.
The awareness raising event also provided the opportunity to socialize, a key component for those helping to prevent or delay the onset of dementia.
“It’s healthy diet, exercise, staying active, keeping your mind active … socializing is important,” Kowalkowski said. “Puzzles, going out in the community to events like this, stay busy.”
That socialization aspect was one of the reasons the Robleys attended.
“It’s just very hard day to day,” Terri Robley said. “I go to my caregivers meetings the ADRC puts on the fourth Wednesday of every month. I go to those meetings, and the support is wonderful. It really helps me.”
For more information and resources regarding Alzheimer’s disease and dementia in general, call the ADRC at 855-492-2372.
kpasson@newmedia-wi.com
Event raises awareness of Alzheimer’s
