Valleyview care home rallies for Alzheimer’s

Brandon personal care home resident Bill Fisch took part in a community walk for Alzheimer’s on behalf of his wife — who was diagnosed with the disease more than a decade ago.

Fisch joined about 35 health-care workers and residents at Extendicare Valleyview to walk or roll in wheelchairs along Victoria Avenue on Wednesday morning to fundraise for the Alzheimer’s Society of Manitoba.

“I just ask the public to get out there and support Alzheimer’s,” he said.

Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia that affects a person’s ability to think, remember and perform daily tasks such as walking and eating.

Fisch, 87, moved into the facility about four months ago to be with his wife, Marlene Fisch, 80, who has lived there for the past nine years. She was unable to participate in the walk. He said it had been “rough” living alone without her, but he was unable to provide the care she needed, and their home would have required renovations.

Before he moved into the building, he made it his responsibility to visit her as often as he could.

“I came up every other day to come and see her and bring her up to date with what happened, with what’s going on with the kids and stuff,” Fisch said.

Now that they live together, he keeps asking Marlene, “Are you tired of me yet?” he said with a laugh.

“It’s nice to see her every day.”

Theresa Gibbons, who has lived at the personal care home for about three years, said she was motivated to participate in the walk because she knows many people affected by Alzheimer’s.

“A lot of people here suffer from it,” she said.

“You don’t realize how many people it impacts until you see, and you live with people like that, and it’s heartbreaking.”

Gibbons, who’s in her mid-60s, said she tries to help and connect with people in her building who have the disease in ways she would want to be supported if she was in their position.

“I sometimes have issues with myself with remembering names, and sometimes it’s embarrassing. So, it hits anybody, doesn’t matter your status in life,” she said.

Gibbons encourages the aging population to advocate for their health, get exercise, sleep well and eat nutritious foods.

“Keep fighting on. Don’t give up. Don’t say, ‘Oh, my mind is terrible.’ Have a more positive outlook,” she said.

Dementia is a common reason for people to transition into living at a personal care home, said Tara-Lee Yakielashek, regional director of operations for Extendicare, which has 12 facilities in the province.

“With our growing population, the growth in dementia is unprecedented at this time. It is becoming more and more complicated for caregivers, family and places for them to actually go to get the care that they receive,” she said.

The Alzheimer Society of Canada estimates more than 771,000 people in the country are living with dementia and predicts nearly one million people could have the disease by 2030.

“It doesn’t discriminate, and it’s becoming more diverse in the demographic that gets impacted. Younger people are becoming more impacted, in addition to seniors that are living longer,” Yakielashek said.

Extendicare Valleyview has a total of 89 residents and about 40 to 50 per cent have Alzheimer’s, she said. Most people diagnosed with the disease at the care home are in their 60s and 70s, but staff have cared for someone as young as 49, Yakielashek said.

Supporting people with Alzheimer’s involves advocacy, education and awareness, she said. The personal care home has been organizing annual community walks for about 10 years. Extendicare has a goal of raising at least $5,000 per year across its Manitoba facilities.

Residents, health-care workers and families were encouraged to support the cause locally by purchasing $2 raffle tickets and spending $5 for a barbecue lunch.

Extendicare has raised more than $1.8 million for the Alzheimer Society of Canada in the last decade to enhance community supports and improve the quality of life for people affected by the disease.

» tadamski@brandonsun.com