B.C. vows $2.7M to help in Alzheimer’s fight
When Michele Buchignani’s grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, it was an overwhelming and distressing time for her and her family.
An Italian immigrant, her nonna Mary ruled the roost at home, recalled Buchignani, and seemed, at least from the outside, to be in control.
But just before her grandfather passed away, he told his son Reg, Buchignani’s father, he needed to look after his mother, whose symptoms were becoming obvious: Shoes in the oven. A tea towel accidentally lit on fire.
“We all soon realized he probably had been covering up for years,” said Buchignani on Sunday at the start of the 2018 Walk for Alzheimer’s fundraiser on Vancouver’s False Creek seawall.
“When that diagnosis came, they didn’t know where to turn. They didn’t have a lot of facts. They were scared.”
Buchignani’s dad and his wife Sally got in touch with the Alzheimer’s Society of B.C. soon after the diagnosis, kick-starting a passion for advocacy and volunteerism that would span three generations.
On Sunday, the Buchignani family was honoured by the society for their tireless work.
Buchignani, who served as board chair and is an active volunteer, was reminded again of the importance of the society’s work recently.
She has lived next door to her father-in-law, Darrell Jones, who had Alzheimer’s, and witnessed Jones’ decline as well as the toll the disease took on her motherin-law Mary as his caregiver. He died in December.
“All this reinforced my passion to make a difference and lit a fire in me to make B.C. a dementiafriendly community,” said Buchignani.
The Investors Group Walk for Alzheimer’s raises funds to help around 70,000 British Columbians living with dementia and their families.
Funds go toward support, education and research into a cure.
The event was attended by a number of provincial and municipal politicians, including Health Minister Adrian Dix, who announced $2.7 million in funding for First Link, a provincewide helpline that links people dealing with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia with support and services.
“It’s an amazing program,” Dix said. “What the Alzheimer’s Society does is extraordinary. As all of you know, when the diagnosis happens, it’s a really difficult moment.”
Opposition leader Andrew Wilkinson also attended, which produced some good-natured ribbing from both sides.
Their presence at the same event reflects the fact raising funds to fight Alzheimer’s is a non-partisan cause, said Dix.
“It’s not an NDP thing, it’s not a Liberal thing today. It’s our thing.”
The walk is Canada’s largest fundraiser for Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, raising more than $4.9 million across the country last year.
More than half a million Canadians are living with dementia, said the society, with that number expected to increase to 937,000 in less than 15 years.