Above / Members of the Rotary Club of Naperville/Downtown placed planters with tiny blue forget-me-not flowers at independent businesses around town to promote Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month in June.
UPDATE, June 25, 2017 / As the month-long campaign to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month begins to wrap up, members of the Rotary Club of Naperville/Downtown wish to express appreciation to all the local businesses and residents that purchased the Forget-Me-Not Planters.
The tiny blue flowers serve as a big shout out to acknowledge with gratitude all the care givers, nurses and hospice workers who serve families with empathy and compassion.
Rotary/Downtown is grateful to Dog Patch Pet & Feed; Dommermuth, Cobine, West, Gensler, Philipchuck, Corrigan & Bernhard, Ltd.; Kreger’s Brat and Sausage Haus; First Community Financial Bank in Naperville Plaza; Harbor Chase; Minuteman Press; NCTV-17; Naperville Senior Center and Day Care; Positively Naperville; Quigley’s Irish Pub; St. Patrick’s Residence and a half dozen residents for graciously giving homes to the planters on their doorsteps.
And special thanks are extended to Carol Massat at The Growing Place and avid gardener Polly Benton with help designing the planters.
Walk to End Alzheimer’s returns to North Central College on Sept. 17
Take note as the forget-me-not blooms begin to fade that the annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s steps off at 10AM Sunday, Sept. 17, at North Central College Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium, 455 South Brainard Street. Check-in time is 8:30AM, followed by a ceremony at 9:30AM. The 3-Mile Walk begins at 10AM.
Individuals and teams are welcome to join the camaraderie, share stories and memories, and take steps toward a world without Alzheimer’s.
For more info and the latest news about Alzheimer’s research, visit www.act.alz.org.
Original Post, June 3, 2017 / The Rotary Club of Naperville/Downtown again has launched a campaign to help grow awareness for Alzheimer’s disease and progressive dementia during the month of June.
Mindful that June is Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month, fellow Rotarians generously supported the project to help begin the discussion and to raise awareness with appreciation to the loving caregivers and compassionate hospice volunteers who assist individuals with dementia and Alzheimer’s near the end of their lives.
A few facts…
- Alzheimer’s disease (AD), is the most common form of dementia.
- Currently, no cure has been discovered for AD, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death.
- After the disease was first described by German psychiatrist and neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer in 1906, the devastating disease was given his name to recognize his research that came to an end when he died at age 51 in 1915.
- Usually thought to be an “older age-related disease,” diagnosed most often in individuals over 65 years of age, some Alzheimer’s can occur much earlier.
- According the fact sheet at www.alz.org, Alzheimer’s is the sixth-leading cause of death in the U.S. AD is also the only cause of death among the top 10 in the U.S. that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed. Furthermore, Alzheimer’s knows no boundaries around the world.
- Alzheimer’s risks are higher among women, African-Americans and Hispanics. African-Americans are about twice as likely as whites to have Alzheimer’s or another dementia. Hispanics are about one and one-half times as likely. Additionally, more than two-thirds of Americans with Alzheimer’s disease are women.
- More than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s, including more than 220,000 right here in Illinois.
Save the Longest Day, June 21, to remember caregivers with gratitude
The Longest Day of the year on June 21 offers sunrise-to-sunset events throughout the nation to honor individuals facing Alzheimer’s “with strength, passion and endurance.” Symbolizing the challenging journey of loved ones living with the disease and their caregivers, the Longest Day provides a chance to team up with the Alzheimer’s Association and select any activity to help raise funds. The aim is to advance research toward ending the disease and identifying the first survivor of Alzheimer’s. Click here to build a team or join one already on the schedule.
Wear purple, remember forget-me-not!
Thanks to suggestions by Carol Massat at The Growing Place, planters of blue forget-me-not flowers are arranged with other flowers in small planters that will find their way around town with a little sign on a stick that reads, “Forget met not! Remember June is the month to use your brain to create awareness about Alzheimer’s and Dementia with gratitude toward caregivers. Visit www.alz.org.”
Tiny forget-me-not flowers serve as big reminders that during the month of June, individuals worldwide are asked to take the Purple Pledge. Be informed. Use your brains to fight Alzheimer’s disease and progressive dementia.
For more info…
For information about another Rotary Club initiative highlighted in the April 2015 Rotarian Magazine titled “Slow Fade, New Hope in the Fight to Stop Alzheimer’s,” click here.
A limited number of planters is still available. If interested in a planter for $50 that will be delivered to your Naperville business, contact Pat Benton at pat.benton@gmail.com.
For more information about the Rotary Club of Naperville/Downtown, one of three Rotary Clubs of Naperville, visit www.rcndowntown.com. Navigate to their weekly meeting schedule to read about the enlightening programs presented at their meetings. Guests always are welcome.
Editor’s Note / When it becomes personal, remember to appreciate all the caregivers who help and respect loved ones. Pain of dementia makes memories hard to hold / Remembering my mother
