Thanks

Statistic of the Day:  September is World Alzheimer's month.

The Brainerd area Walk to End Alzheimer's Committee would like to thank the following businesses for contributing to our local walk:

The Walk committee would like to thank the sponsors, generous organizations and individuals for their donations or service, refreshments, entertainment, raffle items, time and more. This is what we have thus far…

• Alzheimer’s Association

• Bailey Wachholz

• BL Broadcasting

• Brainerd Lakes Chamber of Commerce

• Brainerd VFW

• Breath of Life

• Care Free Living

• Cash Wise

• Christmas Point

• Chuck Whalen

• City of Brainerd

• Cold Stone

• Crossing Arts Alliance

• Cub Foods

• Cuyuna Regional Medical Center

• Deborah Schey Salon

• Diane Gaite

• Diamond Willow Assisted Living

• Edgewood Vista

• Essentia Health

• Geraet’s family

• Good Samaritan Society

• Grand Casino

• Heartwood

• Home Instead

• Karen Ford

• Karon Newmann

• Kenneth Hegstrom Family

• Lake Country Journal

• Lakeland TV

• Lakewood Health System

• Petal & Beans

• Shaefer’s

• Teen Challenge

• The Dispatch

• Tess Taylor

• Viking Beverage

• Virginia Busho

• Wendy’s/Caribbean Beach Tanning

You all made this possible!

Photo by Joey Halvorson

Photo by Joey Halvorson

Photo by Joey Halvorson

Photo by Mary Aalgaard

Salute to you and the community!

Walk to End Alzheimer's 2011

Statistic of the Day: The Brainerd lakes area Walk to End Alzheimer's raised over $72,000 for the cause.

Ken Thomas and his family, honoring their father who passed away earlier this year from Alzheimer's.

Walking together, walking with their community, raising funds and awareness for a disease that comes like a thief in the night, stealing bits and pieces of our loved ones.

Let's stop that thief, one step at a time!

This is what it means to be community. Coming together to share our stories, our sorrows, and our hope for tomorrow.

Ken Thomas's father and Duane had worked together. Ken showed Duane a book that sparked memories for Duane, who has Alzheimer's disease.

Saturday morning, Sept. 24, was a gorgeous morning for a walk.  A large crowd gathered at the Kiwanis Park in Brainerd for the 2011 Walk to End Alzheimer's.  The air was cool and crisp. The sun was shining brightly, and the leaves were just starting to turn. The young and the old, those on wheels and on foot moved as one around the park, along the Mississippi River, through the woods, and over the freshly fallen leaves.

Thank you, Pam & Bailey Wachholz for all your hard work to make this walk so successful!

Thank you, Tess Taylor from WJJY for being our MC!

Walk on!

Wear Purple with Pride!

Photos and story by Mary Aalgaard.  Thanks Joey Halvorson, for taking pictures of the walk! I'll add some of her photos and updates from the walk later this week.

Walk to End Alzheimer's

Quote of the Day:  Researchers report that Alzheimer's disease shares many of the same risk factors as heart disease and stroke:  high blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and body weight.
Findings indicate a healthy diet and regular exercise are good for both your heart and your head.  Staying mentally and socially active also may give your brain a boost.
from The Alzheimer's Association booklet, What's being done about Alzheimer's?

One thing that's being done about Alzheimer's and related illnesses is The Walk to End Alzheimer's. We will have the walk in Brainerd, starting at the Kiwanis Park, on Saturday, Sept. 24.  Registration starts at 9:00 a.m. Click here to register or donate. Join a team, walk as an individual, or start your own team.

In the meantime, look for all the purple around town in support of Alzheimer's research, the walk, and those we love who are afflicted.

Here's a video clip for Wrapping the town in Purple.

Question: Do you know someone who has Alzheimer's disease or dementia?

Remember This

A book review by Mary Aalgaard

Statistic of the Day:  Alzheimer's disease was first identified more than 100 years ago, but research into its symptons, causes, risk factors, and treatment has only gained momentum in the last 30 years. The cause is still unknown. from the Alzheimer's Association website.

Remember This by Susan Thompson Underdahl is a novel about a 17-year-old girl, Lucy, experiencing the usual teenage angst in small town America.  She has normal teenage girl experiences and problems - a cheerleading tryout that ends in disaster, misunderstandings with girlfriends, and conflicted feelings about a boy who shows interest in her.  She also has experiences and problems that extend beyond her age group.  Her grandma seems to be experiencing memory loss. As the family discusses what to do about Grandma, they invite her to live in their house, in Lucy's room, and everyone tries to find a new normal just as everything seems out of their control. 

Lucy is an interesting and lovable main character, with some flaws, but ones that make her real and accessible.  The setting is Williston, ND, the author's home town, but it could be any small town in America.  Susan Thompson Underdahl writes a story that touches on issues relevant to teens and multi-generational living.

I recommend this book to anyone from early teens on up. Click here to read more about Susan and her books.

Still Alice

Statistic of the Day:  Two-thirds of those with Alzheimer's disease – 3.4 million – are women.

Book Review by Mary Aalgaard.
I was emotionally drawn into this novel from the first few pages. We're quickly introduced to Alice, her husband John, and their family dynamic. Alice is a much loved and respected Psychology Professor at Harvard University, specializing in psycholinguistics. Words have been her life.  She's a brilliant woman, independent, and renowned for her mental sharpness. She's the first person to notice hiccups in her memory, not sure what lecture she's supposed to give to her class, asking the same questions over and over to her children, completely forgetting that she was going to Chicago for a guest lecture. 

Lisa Genova does an amazing job of getting inside the hearts and minds of the characters, especially Alice. We see how her mind fogs over. We feel her confusion and panic as she gets lost on her way home from a run - the same run, the same path she's been taking for years.  We sense the ache of her family and friends as they watch this brilliant woman slipping away.

Still Alice is an emotional journey inside the mind and life of a woman experiencing early on-set Alzheimer's disease. She is only 50-years-old when she first experiences symptoms. Although her life and her relationships change as the disease progresses, what remains, even grows, is the love between her and her family.