Letter to the Editor

On behalf of the Alzheimer Society of B.C., I would like to thank the people of the Kootenays for participating in the 2021 IG Wealth Management Walk for Alzheimer’s.

They joined thousands of people in communities across the province and walked their own way in May to show their support for people affected by dementia. Participants got active and showed tremendous creativity while raising funds to support the Alzheimer Society of B.C. They walked, hiked, cycled, danced and more. Then on Sunday, May 30, they joined us online to celebrate a month of activity and hear stories from people who are affected by dementia across Canada.

In Nelson, participants garnered support from family and friends and raised funds to provide education sessions, support groups and our First Link Dementia Helpline. These funds will also allow us to continue to expand digital support, as well as enabling research into the causes and cure for the disease.

The pandemic has highlighted the isolation faced by people living with dementia. However, through the Walk, participants showed that they are deeply committed to supporting their fellow community members facing the disease regardless of not being able to gather in-person for the event. Thank you for coming together to make memories matter.

I would like to thank Elisabeth Antifeau, who was honoured as part of the Nelson virtual event for her incredible work in caring and advocating for people affected by dementia.

I’d also like to thank the Nelson volunteer organizing committee, and in particular, the co-chairs Simon Grypma and Emily Tucker. They were instrumental in garnering local support for this event, and we could not have done this without them.

After 10 years as event-chair, Simon has made the decision to retire from the role. The society is so appreciative to Simon for the energy and compassion he bought to the event. He was instrumental to increasing awareness and funds for the Nelson event year on year, and he did it with care and enthusiasm. Thank you, Simon, for your commitment and passion on helping people on the dementia journey.

The event also had incredible support from sponsors and donors. I’d like to thank our title sponsor IG Wealth Management for their ongoing support of the event. We are grateful for their vision and leadership, and for engaging their volunteers and driving fundraising across Canada. We’d also like to thank our provincial sponsor Cowell Auto Group for their unwavering continued support and commitment to people affected by dementia.

While we may not be able to be together in-person with our community members just yet, thanks to the generosity of our participants, donors, volunteers, honouree families, sponsors and patrons, we will continue to work to ensure people affected by dementia know they are not alone.

For questions about memory loss or dementia, Kootenay residents can call the First Link Dementia Helpline:

English: 1-800-936-6033 (Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.)

Cantonese and Mandarin: 1-833-674-5007 (Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.)

Punjabi: 1-833-674-5003 (Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.)

Cathryn France,

Director, Resource Development,

Alzheimer Society of B.C.

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