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Heads, you get
Alzheimers; Tails, you…
By Bob Robinson
Flip a coin. Heads, you develop Alzheimers; Tails, you care for someone
who has Alzheimers.
That’s what Amy Schwieterman, Alzheimer’s Walk Team Recruitment
Captain, told Kiwanians recently.
While there is no known cure, there is medication that will slow the
process if caught in time. Without treatment or a cure, chances are you
or a loved one will develop Alzheimer’s. One in eight baby boomers will
get the disease after they turn 65. Nearly half of those 85 and older
will develop it.
Greenville started its annual Alzheimer’s Walk in 2008. This year it
will be held on Oct. 2 in Greenville City Park. There will be a long
walk, 3K, and a short walk under 1/2 mile, Schwieterman said. She added
that it will be a fun event with entertainment and food when they
finish.
Schwieterman told the group that last year the walk raised $11,400.
This year they hope to increase that amount with 25 teams. A team can
be any number, even just two people.
She said some of the money stays in Darke County, but the money leaving
the county is used for research… research that hopefully will find the
cure for the disease, improving the lives of Darke Countians.
Schwieterman said that more and more people are getting the disease,
even some people in their 30s.
“It’s always been around,” she said. “We’ve just gotten better at
labeling it.” She noted that the term “hardening of the arteries” was
probably the onset of Alzheimer’s. There has always been stigma around
it. Someone who has “gone crazy” or “lost her mind” was probably an
Alzheimer’s victim.
She also said there are many forms of Dementia, but Alzheimer’s
represented 80 percent of the cases.
Best defense? Exercise your brain. Walks and running exercise the body;
word, number and other mental activities exercise the brain.
Want to form a team? Register at Walk2endALZ.org or 800-272-3900.
Schwieterman is Marketing Director at Sterling House in Greenville.
Holly Hill, Marketing Director at Brethren Retirement Community, chairs
the committee, while Amy Farmer, Marketing Director at Heartland of
Greenville, is responsible for marketing. All three are Kiwanians.
Greenville Kiwanis, a community service organization, meets Wednesdays
at noon in the Chestnut Village Community Center in BRC. Membership is
open to men and women who wish to serve the community and its youth.
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