Alzheimer's Club

As part of activities for Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month, Coventry resident Mary Reardon will be honored by the Alzheimer's Association.

In Rhode Island, 25,000 people suffer from Alzheimer's disease, and even more are caregivers of people with the disease. The Alzheimer's Association's Rhode Island chapter has organized a week long schedule of activities to commemorate the month Ronald Reagan declared Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month. "Alzheimer's is a devastating disease that robs people of their memory, personality, and takes a toll on the entire family," said Camilla Farrell, development director for the Alzheimer's Association Rhode Island chapter.

"Our goal during the month of November," Farrell said, "is to, number one, raise awareness of the disease, but also to recognize the dedication of caregiving, emphasize the importance of finding and funding treatments, and to find preventative measures and a cure by hosting free educational and appreciation events for the public." "We work with patients and their families in various ways
and we offer education and training to health care professionals who care for people with Alzheimer's," she said. This week, the association held several events, including a tree dedication at Slater Mill Historic Site in Pawtucket.
"We have the tree dedication because we feel it is a nice way to commemorate our loved ones who have died from the disease," Farrell said. "You don't ever want to forget them, so we think that the tree is a nice way to remember them."
Yesterday, the association held what Farrell referred to as one of its most prominent events - the annual Dr. Brian Ott Research Symposium and Lecture.
Tomorrow, the association will honor some of its outstanding volunteers, several of whom are from the Kent County area.

Coventry resident Mary Reardon and her family, active supporters of the Alzheimer's Association, will be recognized for their most recent contribution of $2,400, which they raised for the association's annual Memory Walk. "You get so many solicitations to donate to, but my mother had Alzheimer's and she passed away in 2001, so we decided ... this was the cause that we wanted to support," Reardon said. "We each wrote letters and sent them out to our extended family, friends and co-workers and managed to raise $2,400 for the Memory Walk, which we were pretty proud of."
Terry Leal, owner of Tebeca's Jewelry in Warwick, is another volunteer honoree. Leal is one of the association's biggest supporters. In the past she has made monetary donations, offered the association a diamond for its "diamond-in-a bag" raffle, and started a half-and-half fund raiser for the association. Leal takes half the proceeds from the store's sale of clock and watch batteries and donates them to the association.

"There is a woman who worked for me (Judy Enos) whose father died of Alzheimer's," Leal said. "There was a lot of listening to her about her dad. That is how I really learned about the disease. That is why I like to try to help out the association when I can." Both women said they are humbled by being selected as honorary volunteers, but are more interested in using their honor to bring awareness to the association. "I can't say enough about the association," said Reardon. "They are a wonderful group of people that give way more than 100 percent. "They are the source of incredible resources for many people, and I am so very impressed with them. I just can't say enough about them," she said. For more information on Alzheimer's disease or the association, visit www.alz-ri.org."

Source: Jessica Carr. Local resident receives honors from Alzheimer's Association. Daily Times (17 November 2005) [FullText]