Community members from Altona and surrounding areas gathered at The Gardens on Tenth June 5 for the annual Walk for Alzheimer’s.
The event drew participants of all ages, emphasizing the importance of both funding and awareness in the fight against the disease, and it raised $15,560 to support the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba.
Altona town councillor Perry Batchelor shared memories of his grandfather, who struggled with the disease at a time when there was no understanding or support. His grandfather was a First World War veteran who came home after being wounded at the Somme in 1916, and in his later years, he became what they then called senile.
“He didn’t know any of his family anymore. He was in Deer Lodge hospital and actually escaped on a city bus, and they found him 10 miles from the hospital,” said Batchelor. “In today’s day, he would have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. I’m so grateful they’ve identified that … it’s a terrible disease that affected him and affects so many today.”
“We are grateful. We’re not just an organization with a few staff; we are thousands of families in Manitoba, all over the province, affected by dementia,” said Erin Crawford, CEO of the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba.
“We are people who are scared we’re gonna get a dementia diagnosis. We are scared because we did get a dementia diagnosis. We are people who are determined to live our best life with a dementia diagnosis, and we are determined to remember and honour other people close to us who have been impacted by dementia.”
Crawford also praised long-time fundraiser Karen Braun for raising over $9,000 this year.
Rebecca Atkinson, regional coordinator of the south central region for the Alzheimer’s Society of Manitoba, highlighted the impact of the funds raised and the resources available to families in the region dealing with dementia.
“Here in Altona, on the third Monday of the month, we run a care partner support group. The Gardens on Tenth also sponsors a Minds in Motion program, which provides socializing and challenging activities to keep our brains as active as we can,” she noted.
Before embarking on the walk, West Park School’s Grade 5 students serenaded participants with heartfelt songs, setting a hopeful tone for the event.
The traditional walk route curved around a tree donated by the Alzheimer’s Society of Manitoba years ago. Each year, the Alzheimer’s Society Walk pauses at this tree for a group photo, symbolizing the lasting impact and ongoing efforts to support those affected by Alzheimer’s.
The walk concluded in The Gardens on Tenth courtyard, where participants enjoyed a hotdog lunch provided by Sun Valley Co-op.
This was the first Memory Walk for Marilyn Funk and her family, and she shared her personal experience and family story, underscoring the emotional impact of Alzheimer’s.
“When I was a child, my mother took my hand to guide and keep me safe. Now I’m reaching for hers to give the same,” she said. “When I was a child, my mother was my comfort and encourager when things were hard. Now, I need to speak words of encouragement to her, because everything for her is really hard.”
Funk shared how her mother was an avid reader and a prayer warrior.
“Now she clings to six simple words: Jesus loves me, this I know. And the prayers of her heart are no longer voiced in words but through many tears.”
Her mother was a fiercely independent woman, Funk added, not necessarily by choice but defined by circumstances and her strong will and character. Widowed in 1964, she balanced home life and a career and led a life filled with meaning and purpose.
“With time, small yet significant changes became noticeable. In the children’s book, The Memory Box, Alzheimer’s disease is defined in these words .. ‘It’s when the body stays, but the mind leaves’ … and it can be a long goodbye.
“To see someone you love struggle to be the person you’ve always known them to be is devastating.”
For care partners, it can be a bumpy journey, she concluded.
“If there’s a fork in the road, I may need to stop and decide which way I should go to move forward. And will I be whistling a happy tune along the way? Some days, yes. And some days there won’t be a song in my heart. But as Emery Austin writes, sing anyway.”
