Fighting to end Alzheimer’s

Findings from the 2023 Alzheimer’s Association Disease Facts and Figures annual report showed that more than 6 million Americans are living with the disease, which is a type of dementia that affects memory, thinking and behavior. Symptoms eventually grow severe enough to interfere with daily tasks. A staggering one out of every three seniors will die with Alzheimer’s or other dementias. It kills more than breast cancer and prostate cancer, combined, but there is hope.

Formed in 1980, the Alzheimer’s Association leads the way to end Alzheimer’s and all other dementia by accelerating global research and driving risk reduction and early detection. They work on both local and national levels to provide maximum care and support for all those affected by Alzheimer’s and other dementias.

The Southeast Texas Regional Office of the Alzheimer’s Association will host their 11th annual Family Portrait Luncheon on Thursday, May 11, at 11 a.m. at the MCM Eleganté (2355 Interstate 10) in Beaumont. For more than three decades, the Alzheimer’s office in Beaumont has provided support to families who have dealt with this dreaded disease as well as conduct educational programs, which includes recent work with Beaumont Police Department, plus organize and facilitate support groups to help increases awareness and raise funds for research.

“This luncheon has become very important for many reasons,” said Shanna Briggs, regional manager of the Alzheimer’s Association in Southeast Texas. “I lost my mother to a rare form of dementia 10 years ago, so this is very personal to me. The luncheon provides an opportunity for us to bring Alzheimer’s awareness to the community while also honoring those who have been impacted by the disease.”

What is Alzheimer’s? The disease is named after German psychiatrist and pathologist Alois Alzheimer, who first described it in 1906. Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative brain disease that affects memory, thinking and behavior. It’s the most common cause of dementia and accounts for 60-80% of dementia cases. Disorders grouped under the general term “dementia” are caused by abnormal brain changes. These changes trigger a decline in thinking skills, also known as cognitive abilities, severe enough to impair daily life and independent function. It affects behavior, feelings and relationships. Currently, there is no cure.

This year’s luncheon is special for several reasons. The luncheon co-chairs are Catherine Holtzclaw and Albert Nolen. Holtzclaw lost her sister, Jane Moreland to Alzheimer’s in 2020, and this year’s guest speaker Jane’s daughter, Mary Moreland.

“I am so honored to be one of the chairs for the Alzheimer’s luncheon this year,” said Holtzclaw. “I am so proud of my niece, Mary, who will be the guest speaker. She was the third child, but her and her mother had an incredible bond.”

Mary Moreland graduated cum laude from Washington & Lee University and Tulane University School of Law. In addition to earning her law degree, Moreland earned a Certificate in Maritime Law and was the Articles Editor of the Tulane Maritime Law Journal. She also holds a Practice Diploma from the College of Law England and Wales/IBA in International Antitrust Law.

She penned the book, “The Gap Between: Loving and Supporting Someone with Alzheimer’s,” which will be given to those who attend the luncheon.

The book details her first-hand experience caring for her mother Jane, who had Alzheimer’s, and translates her most painful journey into help for other families facing the devastating illness. It reveals Moreland’s process through the stages of grief as she struggles to come to terms with her mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis in the wake of her father J. Marvin Moreland Jr.’s death. She was able to walk readers through the earliest phases of the disease, all the way to her mother’s passing.

She also provides advice on navigating critical matters including legal documentation, diagnostic and educational resources, preparing for and accepting deterioration, and the end-of-life experience.

This important fundraiser will also honor Karen and Bob Wortham.

“The Worthams have been supporters of the Family Portrait Luncheon since its beginning,” said Briggs. “They have done so much for the community. Karen has been on the luncheon committee and has helped spread awareness. The Worthams, unfortunately, have had family that have been touched by Alzheimer’s disease.”

Individual tickets, which start at $75, can be purchased online at familyportrait.givesmart.com. Sponsorships are also available.

The luncheon created by program participants of OASIS Respite Ministry, a partner of the Alzheimer’s Association. The respite program was founded by Dorothy Anne Conn, who was an advocate for the importance of social stimulation for individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease. Program participants partnered with a local artist in 2018 create a beautiful butterfly that has become synonymous with the yearly luncheon.

“Alzheimer’s has affected so many families and it’s also very costly,” said Briggs.

In fact, the Alzheimer’s Association reported that Alzheimer’s and other dementias will cost the nation $345 billion and the costs could rise to $1 trillion by 2050. Over 11 million Americans provide unpaid care for people with the disease.

Funds raised at the Family Portrait Luncheon will help the effort to find better ways to treat the disease, delay its onset and prevent it from developing.

“We need continued support to fight for a cause that has touched our families, but also many of our friends and their families,” said Briggs. “No one is immune to its impact.”

-Chad Cooper, Entertainment Editor