WESTLOCK — May is Alzheimer’s awareness month, and Westlock and area residents are preparing to lace up for the second annual IG Wealth Management Walk For Alzheimer’s on May 25.
The event is one of several being held by the Alzheimer Society of Alberta and Northwest Territories in the province on May 25 and 26, and is returning to Westlock following the inaugural walk in May 2023.
“I’ve wanted to do a walk for a long time. I thought why can’t we do it in our little community because there is a need for it,” said Lynn Sauve, facilitator for the Westlock Alzheimer’s Support Group. “There’s a lot of people here so let’s support our own little group and let’s do it in our town.”
About 30 walkers registered and took part in the event last year and raised around $2,500, which stays in the community, noted Sauve.
“If somebody needs some support or they need a workshop … that’s what it’s used for is for this, in our community.”
This year, registration for the event is at 10 a.m. with the walk starting at 11 a.m. and will include a different route from last year’s event, said Sauve, adding they will provide a lunch and refreshments afterwards and have some draws for door prizes.
This year’s walk will start at the Westlock Gospel Chapel and is a bit shorter than the inaugural event, at two kilometres and is expected to take participants anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes.
Sauve said the support group, which began in 2015, meets every second Monday of the month from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Westlock Continuing Care Centre.
“The reason (my sister and I) started the group was because our mom had Alzheimer’s and there was no support at all in Westlock at the time we were going through it,” said Sauve, noting a year after her mother passed away (in 2013), her mother-in-law also developed Alzheimer’s.
“We knew that there was quite a bit of this (dementia) in our community and our goal was, if we could help at least one person … we’ve still got some (members) that from day one have stuck with us that are still going through the journey with their loved ones.”
According to the Alzheimer Society of Canada, as of January 2024, an estimated 733,000 Canadians are living with dementia and by 2030 close to one million people could have the disease.
Sauve said the need in Westlock continues to grow as those numbers increase and encourages people to reach out to the support group.
Those wishing to participate in the IG Wealth Management Walk For Alzheimer’s can show up on May 25 to register or contact Sauve at (780) 307-8186. For details about the Westlock walk or for more information visit www.walkforalzheimers.ca
