This year’s Walk for Alzheimer’s in Delta will honour key Alzheimer Society of B.C. fundraiser Lorraine Jarvis for her contribution to the community and desire to help other people affected by dementia.
“A fighter and a doer” is how Lorraine describes her husband, John, who lives with Lewy body dementia.
With persistence and hard work, John had succeeded in his sales manager role, often travelling across the country and managing his own team. But in 2013, Lorraine started noticing John struggling with basic tasks and decision-making. There were other behavioural red flags, too: acting out dreams, searching for words and getting lost on his way back to a hotel.
Then, in 2019, a cognitive test initially indicated John was living with Alzheimer’s disease. Later, the neurologist confirmed a diagnosis of Lewy body dementia, a disease far fewer people are familiar with.
For a brief time, Lorraine felt she could not speak to others or find help because John did not want others to know. As soon as Lorraine could open up to share both her stress and what she and John were experiencing, she felt a huge weight lift off her shoulders.
“You would expect someone with so many frustrations because of the disease to be angry, but I am not getting that from him,” Lorraine says of her experience. “Instead, I am getting repeated efforts to make things work. John is so determined to maintain as much independence as possible that he will spend 20 minutes trying to complete a simple task that used to take one or two minutes.”
Lorraine is among the more than 50,000 care partners in British Columbia who, on a weekly basis, provide an estimated 1.3 million hours of unpaid caregiving support to people living with dementia. If current trends continue, the number of caregivers is expected to rise to nearly 150,000, with their hours of service reaching almost 200 million annually by 2050.
People across the province will have the opportunity to help mitigate this impact and raise funds for essential Alzheimer Society of B.C. programs and services at the charity’s flagship fundraiser on Sunday, May 28.
The IG Wealth Management Walk for Alzheimer’s, presented by Go Auto, helps provide critical supports for people affected by dementia while breaking down stigma surrounding the disease. Each of the 21 events across B.C. is dedicated to an honouree — an individual or group affected by dementia, or someone who has valuably contributed to the lives of people living with the disease.
This year, Lorraine was chosen as the honouree for the event in Delta.
One of the outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic is that the Alzheimer Society created a virtual support group specifically for people caring for someone living with Lewy body dementia. Lorraine was one of the first participants to join, and since then has provided valuable support to other group members based on her experiences while also receiving the help that she needs.
“I find it very helpful,” she says. “It is reassuring, grounding and practical advice. It is very valuable.”
The Delta IG Wealth Management Walk for Alzheimer’s will take place at 9:30 a.m. at South Delta Secondary (750 53rd St.), with registration at 8:30 a.m.
To participate, or to donate, visit walkforalzheimers.ca.
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