Remembery letter 2015

The Friends of Harwich Council on Aging
100 OAK STREET
HARWICH, MA 02645
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President
Jack Brown
Treasurer
Andrea Terney
Secretary
JoAnne Brown
Minibus Chair
Joan McCarty
Members
Robert Widegren
Nan Bailey
Ruth Avitia
REMEMBERY WALK
A diagnosis of dementia is devastating. For many families, it leads to costly tests,
medications and supplies usually not covered by insurance. Watching your family
member lose his or her identity and a lifetime of memories is bad enough; adding
high out-of-pocket costs brings additional emotional pain and fear of the future.
The Remembery Walk will raise funds to help families with those added costs
and is dedicated to helping them on their journey with Alzheimer’s and other
dementias.
Imagine that your spouse with dementia needs a psychological evaluation to
qualify for services to help when you can't be there. But it costs $350, money you
don’t have. Or maybe your father has Alzheimer’s disease and you don’t live near
enough to help. You’d like him to have a medical alert service for emergencies,
but it costs nearly $500 a year, and again, he doesn’t have the funds. Where do
you turn?
It is individuals and families like these who will benefit from the funds raised in the Remembery Walk on
Saturday, May 9, 2015 in Harwich. All proceeds will go directly to families to provide financial support to
caregivers and individuals with Alzheimer’s and related dementia, when other resources are unavailable to
them. Grants will be made to residents of Brewster, Chatham, Harwich and Orleans who need services such as
dental, vision and hearing care, medication, food, safety equipment, psychological evaluations, durable medical
equipment and other items.
The Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer's disease reports that every 68 seconds, someone in the U.S. is
diagnosed. As the Lower Cape senior population increases, so will the rate of Alzheimer's and related
dementias. The Remembery Walk fund exists to help. Please join us.
How can you help?
* Donate goods or services --- either drinks or snacks for walkers.
* Make a monetary donation, knowing it will be directed to families in need.
* Form a team to walk in the event. Spread the word -- the more the merrier.
Who is organizing the walk?
The walk began in 2006 to honor David Birtwell, who died of Alzheimer's disease, by his grandson Patrick
Foley and his family. They continue to be the driving force behind the walk along with a group of dedicated
volunteers. The Remembery Walk is a fund of the Friends of Harwich Council on Aging, a 501(c)3
organization (510162989).
For more information, go to: www.rememberywalk.org,
or call The Foleys at 508-430-0027.