EDWARDSVILLE – The Alzheimer’s Association is inviting Illinois residents to unite in a movement to reclaim the future for millions by participating in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, to be held at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, at SIUE.
The walk is considered an experience for the nearly 1,400 participants in Edwardsville who will learn about Alzheimer’s disease and how to get involved, from advocacy opportunities, the latest in Alzheimer’s research and clinical trial enrollment to support services. Each walker will also join in a ceremony to honor those affected.
Stacey Howard, a public relations instructor at SIUE, will walk with her students in honor of her father, Stephen Lieurance, who is living with Alzheimer’s.
Howard says that in the six years since her father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s she has focused on finding the joy along a heart-breaking journey.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, advancing through the brain over time to destroy memory, thinking and behavior.
Howard, 51, a Highland resident, remembers her father as outgoing, generous and industrious.
“He would do anything for people,” Howard said. “He always had that servant’s heart.”
To help support his family, Lieurance began working on river barges after eighth grade and joined the Navy in his late teens. He went on to work as a carpenter at Western Illinois University, with side businesses ranging from antique shops to waterfront bars to an ice cream store where Howard and her siblings scored free dipped cones.
After retiring, he went straight to auction school, often lending his skills to charity benefits. “Everybody up in that tristate area knows Stephen Lieurance,” Howard said.
The first signs that something was wrong emerged when Lieurance was in his seventies. While driving his truck, he forgot how to turn on the windshield wipers. He forgot how to mix the calf feed he had prepared for years.
“I don’t think he ever said the word ‘Alzheimer’s,’” Howard said, “He just said, ‘My head’s no good’.”
After the diagnosis, Howard immediately plunged herself into research. She went to the Alzheimer‟s Association website, attended support meetings and read every book she could find. Everything she learned, she shared with her mother, Shirley, who as a primary caregiver had precious little time to seek information or support.
There are over 15 million unpaid caregivers in America, more than 60 percent of whom rate the emotional stress of caregiving as high or very high.
“The stress and fear of taking care of him at home was really taking its toll on her,” Howard said. As the disease progressed, more frightening changes followed. Shirley began labeling objects to give Lieurance visual cues, but “he couldn’t tell toothpaste from aftershave,” Howard said. He stopped recognizing Shirley, saying that he wanted her out of the house.
“It was pretty scary for her,” Howard said, eventually reaching the point that “I didn’t feel comfortable having them there alone.”
Her father moved into a care center last September, a difficult decision but one that has improved his interactions with Shirley. “Now that she has time to go to those support group meetings, she sees that other people go through the same thing, and actually sees that it’s not personal, it’s the disease,” Howard said.
Howard will participate in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s as a member of the Purple PRoject team, organized by her public relations students to raise awareness and support for local families battling Alzheimer‟s. The team has raised money by selling baked goods and purple headbands, and hopes to get businesses in the community
There has never been a greater need for the citizens of Illinois to join in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease by participating in Walk to End Alzheimer’s, said Stacy Tew-Lovasz, president/chief executive officer of the Alzheimer’s Association St. Louis Chapter. “We are challenging Edwardsville to help us make this a record-breaking year by raising more than one million dollars. Funds raised will provide care and support services to the more than 210,000 Illinois residents living with Alzheimer’s, while also contributing to advancing critically-needed research.”
Start or join a team at alz.org/stl[1] or by calling (800) 272-3900.
For additional information or support, or if you would like to donate to the Purple PRoject team or start your own team, visit www.alz.org/stl[2] , or call the 24/7 Helpline at 1.800.272.3900.
0 comments:
Post a Comment