Family Portrait luncheon takes aim at Alzheimer’s

Since 1980, the Alzheimer’s Association has led the way to end in the fight 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 Alzheimer’s Association Southeast Texas Chapter hosts the annual Family Portrait Luncheon, which gives the community the opportunity to honor those that have been lost to Alzheimer’s and who are currently battling the disease. The event raises funds to help fight the fight in finding a cure.

Findings from last year’s Alzheimer’s Association Disease Facts and Figures annual report state 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.

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. Symptoms eventually grow severe enough to interfere with daily tasks. 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, but the Alzheimer’s Association won’t stop fighting until they find one.

Now in its 12th year, the Family Portrait Luncheon is scheduled for Thursday, March 21, at 11 a.m. at the MCM Eleganté hotel in Beaumont. Luncheon tickets are $150 and can be purchased online at familyportrait.givesmart. com. Table sponsorships are also available.

This year’s honorary chairs are Jaime Taylor, President of Lamar University, and his wife Stacy.

“Lamar has supported the luncheon for many years,” said Shanna Briggs, regional manager of the Alzheimer’s Association in Southeast Texas. “We have teamed up with different departments so that their students and faculty could be involved. Stacy lost her grandmother to Alzheimer’s and here recently, her mother has been diagnosed with a form of dementia, so she has a very personal interest in the fight to find a cure.”

Luncheon chairs for the event are Sherrie and Jeff Branick.

“The Branicks are pillars of our community,” sad Briggs. “Sherrie lost her mother many years ago to this disease. Not only do they support the Alzheimer’s Association, but they are everywhere in our community, and we can’t thank them enough for their involvement.”

Author Sarah Allison, who has written several children’s books, will be the guest speaker.

“I have spent years using the words and illustrations in children’s books to share the magic of a great read-aloud, to cultivate a love of reading, and to introduce important topics in an age-appropriate way,” said Allison. “Named after my daughters, Brynnlee and Audrey, B+A Stories is where the stories, characters, lessons, and experiences of my own life are written and published.”

One notable book is titled, “The Memory Keepers.” Allison was inspired to write it to teach her young daughters how to understand her own mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

“Alzheimer’s has impacted our families in ways that we never could have imagined,” said Allison. “It was, and remains, a challenge to explain to our own children what has happened to their grandparents. As we navigate these conversations, we have focused on the memories that our children can keep remembering who their grandparents were before Alzheimer’s and dementia. It is my deep hope that this book provides comfort to those struggling with these same conversations.”

The book will also be available for everyone who attends the luncheon.

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.

“Our hope is to not only raise needed funds that help find better ways to treat the disease, but also bring awareness,” said Briggs. “A lot of people think they are alone in this fight. We are here for them. We have a care and support line as well as a caregiver support group, which meets every month in Beaumont. We also have an educational series.”

Don’t just hope for a cure. Help find one.

“We encourage attendees to bring a portrait of their loved one to place on the Portrait Table outside the ballroom so we can honor them,” added Briggs. “We need continued support to fight for a cause that has touched our families, but also many of our friends and their families. No one is immune to its impact.”

For more information, email sbbriggs@alz.org or call (409) 833- 1613.