Sept 11 header
March 2017
e-newsletter  
The Brains Behind Saving Yours

 

The Alzheimer's journey is a long one, with many twists and turns. The Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter has been here as a strong, passionate, and committed resource for over 30 years and with your support we intend to stay committed until the vision of a world without Alzheimer's is attained.

Executive Director Tom Hlavacek to Retire in June 
Tom Hlavacek

The Alzheimer's Association, Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter announces that Tom Hlavacek, Executive Director, will retire on Friday, June 30 after 12 years of service to the organization, and a 37 year career in non-profits.  The Alzheimer's Association is conducting a nationwide search for his successor.
 
Hlavacek began his career at the Alzheimer's Association in May of 2005, after serving for 13 years as Director of the Milwaukee Office of Disability Rights Wisconsin, the statewide protection and advocacy system for people with disabilities.  During his tenure, the Alzheimer's Association chapter experienced impressive growth and a vast expansion of programs and services throughout its 11-county region. Hlavacek spearheaded efforts which resulted in revenue growth from $900,000 in 2005 to a current budget of over $3 million; and a doubling of staff that allowed the chapter to deliver more than 37,000 points of service in 2016, tripling the amount of service provided in 2005.
 
You can read more about Tom's accomplishments at the Alzheimer's Association in this press release

While we are sad to see Tom leave, we wish him all the best, and much happiness, as he pursues the next chapter of his life.

Channel 12 Sports Anchor Stephanie Sutton to Emcee Mardi Gras Gala on March 14
Stephanie Sutton

We are thrilled to announce that Channel 12 Sports Anchor Stephanie Sutton has graciously agreed to emcee our annual Mardi Gras Gala at the Milwaukee Art Museum on Tuesday, March 14!  Sutton, a Brookfield native, and graduate of the University of Wisconsin - Madison, is an award-winning journalist who has been honored three times by the Associated Press for "Best Sports Story.". She also won the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Award for "Best Sports Reporting" in a major market in 2005 and has also been honored by the Milwaukee Press Club.

Tickets at $250 each are still available for the Gala and Chairs Ellen & Mike Schlossmann would love to have you join them  for our Downtown Big Easy at the Milwaukee Art Museum. Enjoy music, food and festivities for a fun filled evening where we unite to End Alzheimer's. 

We'd like to extend a special THANK YOU to our top Mardi Gras Gala sponsors!

Brewers Community Foundation
Marten Transport, Ltd.
Northwestern Mutual Foundation
Schlossmann Auto Group
WaterStone Bank

Thanks also to our Media Partner - M Magazine!

Today's Courage, Tomorrow's Hope
Virginia Kairis 
~Stories from the Alzheimer's Journey ~ 

A Story of Challenging Behaviors

Life wasn't easy for Virginia Kairis.  She was widowed at the age of 48. She did what needed to be done to survive as a single mom. She cut the grass. She plowed snow. She drove a tractor. She worked to support herself and put her only child, Darlene, through college.  No doubt about it - Virginia was a strong, intelligent, loving, and caring woman with an incredible amount of stamina.  But when she reached her 80's, this sweet looking, white-haired woman had changed. She had become a person who was verbally abusive, controlling and suicidal, all the fallout of Alzheimer's disease. Her daughter, Darlene, became a caregiver trapped in a horror story with seemingly no solutions, and no way out, until she found help through the Alzheimer's Association. Read Virginia and Darlene's story here


2016 Walk to End Alzheimer's in Milwaukee County 
Breaks into the Top Ten!

A Record Setting Achievement in Southeastern Wisconsin

Thanks to EVERYONE's hard work, our Milwaukee County Walk was named the #10 largest revenue producing Walk to End Alzheimer's event in the entire nation! Please give yourselves a round of applause for this fantastic achievement - raising a final total of $1,112,753, a 32.7% increase in dollars raised over 2015!  The Milwaukee Walk also saw an amazing 14.72% increase in the number of participants in 2016.

We are proud to share this honor with you - our walkers, our donors, our sponsors, and the countless individuals that receive care and support services, at no-cost, through the power of these generous donations!
 
Southeastern Wisconsin Receives Additional Accolades at 
National Leadership Summit in January

In January key chapter leadership and volunteers traveled to Orlando for the Alzheimer's Association Leadership Summit.  In addition to being crowned with a Top Ten Walk to End Alzheimer's event, the chapter also earned "high fives" and won awards for chapter with the most Ambassador teams per member of Congress, and highest per capita fundraising for the Walk to End Alzheimer's! 

We took a brief moment from a very rigorous day of workshops and seminars to celebrate our success, and take this photo with Harry Johns, President and CEO of the Alzheimer's Association. 
 
Nominate Someone for the 2017 Outstanding Caregiver Awards
Nomination Deadline is March 10

Don't miss out on your final opportunity to nominate someone for the Outstanding Caregiver Awards to be presented at the Wisconsin State Conference, May 7-9 at the Kahlahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells. Award categories include Courage, Family Caregiver, Professional, Organizational, Physician, and Special Service.   For nomination forms and criteria click here.   Nomination deadline is March 10.

And join us in May for the one of the largest and most comprehensive educational forums in the country dedicated to Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Register  online by April 14.

Marshalls Teams up with the Alzheimer's Association 
Now Through March 18

The Alzheimer's Association thanks Marshalls for its fifth consecutive year of supporting our vision of a world without Alzheimer's disease. From March 5-18, Marshalls customers nationwide will have the opportunity to donate $1, $5 or $10 at checkout to benefit Association care, support and research efforts.

Find out more  here

Barnes & Noble Mayfair Welcomes Former Governor
Marty Schreiber on March 15
Marty and Elaine Schreiber 

You are invited to attend a very special author event at Barnes & Noble Mayfair on March 15th at 2:00 p.m. when Former Wisconsin Governor Marty Schreiber is in the house to discuss his book My Two Elaines: Learning, Caring and Surviving as an Alzheimer's Caregiver.

Marty provides an intimate look at and candid insight into the struggles a spouse and family go through in caring for a loved one with this dreaded disease. But more than an account of Marty's struggles in caring for his wife, My Two Elaines also offers sage advice that respects the one with Alzheimer's while maintaining the caregiver's health. As two-thirds of those with Alzheimer's are women, he offers special guidance for men thrust into an unexpected role. This is truly an event not to be missed!
FTD Caregiver Support Group Begins in April

The Alzheimer's Association, in partnership with the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration, will begin a new specialty support group for family members caring for individuals with FTD. This support group will offer help and support to individuals experiencing similar situations in caregiving for a family member with FTD.

The meetings will be on the 3rd Wednesday of each month from 
6:00 - 7:30 p.m. beginning on April 19 at the Alzheimer's Association office in Milwaukee. The group will be co-facilitated by Jim Fenske, a family caregiver and Dr. Michelle Braun, a neuropsychologist.

If you have questions, or are interested in attending this group, please contact Krista Scheel at 414.479.8800, 800.272.3900 or kscheel@alz.org
 
Walk to End Alzheimer's Early Bird Registration Raffle 

Sign up your Walk to End Alzheimer's Team before  May 31  and be entered in a drawing to win 2 Summerfest Tickets! There will be one winner per county.

AND the team with the most amount of funds raised by  May 31 will win three Summerfest general admission tickets. 

Winners will be picked  June 1 and recognized via social media. We will personally contact everyone who wins. Register your team now  here

Good Luck!

 
Inside the Brain - An Interactive Tour

Ever wonder what changes take place in the brain due to Alzheimer's disease? You can take our Inside the Brain Interactive Tour which includes 16 interactive slides and helps to explain how the brain works and how Alzheimer's affects it.

Take your tour here
 
People Living with Dementia may Sometimes Repeat Statements and Questions

A person living with Alzheimer's or another dementia may do or say something over and over - like repeating a word, question or activity - or undo something that has just been finished. In most cases, he or she is probably looking for comfort, security and familiarity. People with dementia who ask questions repeatedly may be trying to express a specific concern, ask for help or cope with frustration, anxiety or insecurity.

Learn more about repetition in our Caregiver Center
 
Memories in the Making - Multi-Week Painting Series 
Join Us in Racine  

Join us for a multiple week Memories in the Making painting series for families living with dementia.  Participate in an opportunity to be creative through the art of painting in watercolor.  No experience is necessary!

Tuesday, March 21, 28 and April 4, 11
2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Racine Gateway Technical College
901 Pershing Drive - Racine
Registration is required - to register contact Wendy Betley at 414.479.8800. 800.272.3900 or wbetley@alz.org

Cover to Cover  -  Tools for Use with Memory Challenged Individuals

Librarian Meredith Bishop 
Meredith Bishop, a career Librarian, and volunteer has highlighted a few of the tools we can offer in our resource library that you can use with individuals who are memory challenged.  Check them out today! 

Meredith's March Picks 

Let's Look Together: An Interactive Picture Book for People with Alzheimer's and Other Forms of Memory Loss. Ziegler, Rae-Lynn Cebul. Health Professions Press, 2009
     This title is a picture book for adults featuring large color photographs of children on glossy, touchable pages. Used one-on-one or in a group setting, the book is designed to encourage conversation and trigger sensory reactions.

Thinking Cards: Stimulating Activities for Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment .  Attainment, 2004
     This is a set of 100 large, sturdy cards with color photos and related activities or discussion questions on them which are designed to stimulate the person with mild cognitive impairment or early Alzheimer's disease.

Through the Seasons: An Activity Book for Memory-Challenged Adults and Caregivers . Green, Cynthia R. and Beloff, Joan. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008
     This is a large format, photographic book, depicting the four seasons. Color photos are accompanied by discussion questions and suggestions for activities related to the pictures. A book to generate communication.
     
The Resource Center also has a collection of easy jigsaw puzzles with either 12 or 36 large pieces designed for adults with memory loss. These may be borrowed for home use. 

To access materials in our collection, visit the Resource Center during regular business hours - Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m or call 800.272.3900. For more information visit our  website


Coming Up - Alzheimer's Association Education Programs

Understanding Dementia

  
Thursday, March 9, 16 and 23
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Waukesha Memorial Hospital
725 American Avenue - Waukesha
Registration is required - to register contact the ProHealth class registration service at 262.928.2745

Thursday, March 16, 23 and 30
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin
9200 W. Wisconsin Ave, 2NT Conference Room - Milwaukee
Registration is required - to register contact Sue Moser at 414.805.9269 or Suzanne.moser@froedtert.com

Tuesday, April 11 and 18
3:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Beaver Dam Community Hospital
707 S. University Avenue - Beaver Dam
Registration is required - to register contact Bonnie Beam-Stratz at 920.728.4088, 800.272.3900 or bbeam@alz.org

Thursday, April 13, 20 and 27
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Aurora West Allis Medical Center
8901 W. Lincoln Avenue - West Allis
Registration is required - to register contact Aurora at 888.863.5502 or register online here


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Living with Dementia - Early Stage Early Stage

  • a three-part program geared for individuals living with early-stage dementia and their care partners
  • discussion includes information you need to know, plans you need to make, and what you can do to navigate this chapter of your life

Monday, March 20, 27 and April 3
1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Alzheimer's Association
620 S. 76th St., Ste. 160 - Milwaukee
Registration is required - to register contract Wendy Betley at 800.272.3900

Tuesday, March 21, 28, and April 4
2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Family Enrichment Center
885 Badger Circle - Grafton
Registration is required - to register contact Sarah Prohuska at 800.272.3900 or email sprohuska@alz.org

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Living with Dementia - Moderate Stage Early Stage

  • a three session program offers information to family caregivers on relationship changes, understanding symptoms and care needs, maximizing safety, preparing for emergencies, personal care, arranging for respite care, and managing challenging behaviors 
Tuesday, April 11, 18 and 25
1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Alzheimer's Association
620 S. 76th Street, Suite 160 - Milwaukee
Registration is required - to register contact Deborah Klement at 414.479.8800, 800.272.3900 or dklement@alz.org
  ____________________________________________________________________________________

The Savvy Caregiver 
Caregiver

Education, Support and Social Engagement - At Your Fingertips


Whether you're looking for an Alzheimer's disease or related dementia education program, a support group, or a Memory Cafe, we have it all! Just click a link and access the upcoming opportunities in your area:






 

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Alzheimer's Association | Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter 
24/7 Helpline 800.272.3900 |  www.alz.org/sewi