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Alzheimer's Memory Walkers "On the Move" For Progress
Sijansky, who has witnessed her grandmother endure complications from the disease for several years, knew that her boss, Mark Rodgers, would want to be involved. Sijansky is the sales and marketing analyst for Samarion, a Ridgeland-based healthcare technology company that provides a unique quality improvement system to nursing homes across America. Among the system's five components: an unprecedented restraint-free fall prevention system and a wandering and elopement prevention system that substantially benefits Alzheimer's patients. "I often speak to the heart of Samarion … compassion for the elderly … and this is a great opportunity for us to demonstrate our support of such great work," said Rodgers, CEO of Samarion, who supported Sijansky's becoming a team leader for the noncompetitive 1-to-3-mile walk, asked company employees to raise $100 each, and also signed on as a Bronze event sponsor. Dedicated to Making a DifferenceWhen Lee Corlew's maternal grandmother had Alzheimer's in the 1970s, the disease was little understood and often referred to as senile dementia. "We knew something was wrong because she'd tell these wild tales … after one visit, she told the neighbors that my sister and I had stolen her pots and pans," said Corlew, whose mother and father-in-law later suffered from Alzheimer's. "That night, my grandmother slept with a gun under her pillow. Fortunately, my uncle removed all the bullets." Corlew has been an advocate for Alzheimer's since 1991, serving more than a decade as a board member and successfully lobbying for the association on the state and federal level. "I was in graduate school with three children when my father-in-law developed Alzheimer's," she said, adding that he was only 58 and lived to be 80. "It was a long 20-plus year saga." Corlew earned a master's degree specializing in Alzheimer's counseling to help other families affected by the disease. "You don't have to live from crisis to crisis," said Corlew, whose mother was diagnosed with the disease after Corlew had begun counseling Alzheimer's families. She died in 1996. "You learn to understand what you're dealing with." "When you ask, ask big," advised Patty Dunn, state operations director for the Alzheimer's Association Mississippi Chapter, which raised $35,000 in 2007. This year, the event fundraising goal is $50,000. By mid-September, nearly $20,000 had been pledged, with Heather Taggart, Chere Stegall, Maribeth Lane, Dianne Guthrie and Tonja Bridgeman as the top fundraisers. "The golden rule of fundraising is: you raise money when you ask for it. You don't when you don't ask. It sounds simple, but it's true. You don't lose anything if someone says no to your request or gives less than you ask for. But you're losing out on a potential donation if you don't ask in the first place." The Central Mississippi walk takes place in a new venue this year, beginning at 9 a.m. at Trustmark Park in the Mississippi Braves Stadium. "We're so pleased with the response we've received," said Dunn. "Most of our activity occurs within two weeks of the event, so we're well on our way to meeting—and hopefully exceeding—our goal." Funds raised from the Memory Walk will help finance statewide support groups; the training of policemen, firefighters and emergency personnel for the Medic Alert Safe Return Program; distributing basic Alzheimer's information; initiating the Maintain Your Brain program for baby boomers; and the rollout of a virtual dementia tour. "By the time I finished the virtual tour of what it's like to be in the shoes of a person with dementia, I had a new perspective of the challenges of completing everyday tasks," said Dunn, whose experience involved wearing goggles with blurry vision, taping fingers together, having pebbles in her shoes, and wearing earphones emitting disconcerting background noise. The Alzheimer's Association's signature event for awareness and fundraising, Memory Walk has raised more than $225 million nationwide since it was established in 1989. The nationwide association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer research and support. "Our mission is to eliminate Alzheimer's disease through the advancement of research, to provide and enhance care and support for all affected, and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health," said Dunn. "Our vision is a world without Alzheimer's disease." Nationally presented by Genworth Financial, local event sponsors include St. Dominic's, Alliance Health Center, Memory Clinic/Hattiesburg Clinic, Riley Hospital, Mississippi Power Company, Dean and Dean/Associates, University Physicians, Enterprise and Samarion. Additional local sponsors include Harrah's Foundation, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi, Valley, HMP Nursing Services, Humana, Home Instead, HealthSpring, Cubla Transcription LLC, and Elite Water & Coffee. To participate in Memory Walk 2008 or to contribute funds, visit http://jacksonmw08.kintera.org. Donations will be accepted throughout the month of November, Alzheimer's Awareness Month. Tags:NoneBookmark:
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