Alzheimer’s Disease is a road without a destination that no one should have to travel alone.
Often the companions on that long path are family members who look after the person in their own homes, at least during the early stages.
These caregivers have to endure the heartbreak of seeing a loved one slowly leave them and still provide some form of companionship.
That is why these unsung heroes are being honoured at this year’s 13th annual Investors Group Walk for Memories Jan. 25 at Cherry Lane Shopping Centre.
“It is crucial that we honour caregivers because they are the glue that holds this journey together,” said Laurie Myres, a former caregiver herself and the current support and education coordinator for the local chapter of the Alzheimer’s Society of B.C.
“They are also the people who take the full brunt for the changes and adaptations that are necessary to navigate this journey. They are the ones that pretty much the bulk of the stress falls onto.”
Joy Huebert is one of the those people. She has worked for many years as a caregiver both with her grandmother and now with her mother, Leona Slusarchuk. Huebert was the one who had to take Leona to the emergency ward of Penticton Regional when her condition worsened to the point where something had to be done.
“We sat in that ER for five hours waiting for my mom to be admitted,” recalled Huebert about the day. “In that five hours she started to hallucinate and it was very scary for her and it was hard for me to sit there and to know I was taking her out of her home but there were no other options.”
Eventually her daughters were able to get Leona into Trinity Care Centre, where she has her own room and Huebert regularly visits her. The mother still recognizes her children but remembers nothing of their time together. Huebert admitted maintaining her resolve is difficult, the good days are still fun and seeing the smile on her mom’s face makes the bad times a little easier to bear.
But then there are the nights.
“They are the worst,” said Huebert. “She can still use the phone and she calls and says, ‘get me out of here, I’m in this jail, come and take me,’ that’s heart-wrenching when you hear those things and I go ‘oh mom…’
“My mom hasn’t reached that stage (where she doesn’t recognize her children) yet and I know it will but it will still be a punch in the gut. She’s already extremely lonely, things just don’t stay with her, she’s just very, very lonely.”
Nicole Joostema, 17, was just 10 years old when her grandfather passed away after suffering from Alzheimer’s for seven years. While she was still very young, the memories of those times are vivid and what she experienced made her commit to helping others with dementia however she can.
“It was confusing for me to seeing my grandpa so confused and so distraught over not being able to remember simple things,” said Joostema, who has asked for money instead of birthday presents and donated it to the society. “It was quite hard for me, but more so seeing what my mom and my nana and my aunt were going through.
“Even before they pass away it’s like the person is dying in life.”
This year’s Walk for Memories starts at 9:30 a.m. Registration is at 8:45 a.m.