MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR OCTOBER 9
Mariposa Park
Please log on to register to Walk with the WSDs to End Alzheimer’s!
Alzheimer’s – A Devastating Diagnosis: A Family’s Perspective
by Stephanie W. Telles
Co-Chair
Central NM Walk to End Alzheimer’s
When my mom was diagnosed with early onset dementia and overlapping Alzheimer’s I was at a loss. I wasn’t sure who I could talk to, but even if I did, I didn’t know what to say. When I am troubled or facing challenges and need advice my mom was the first person I would turn to, but as I learned of her diagnosis, I was suddenly struck with the realization that the person with whom I would normally turn to for guidance after receiving such devastating news was the person the news affected.
Following her diagnosis, as my family and I began to adjust to our new journey as caregivers for my mom, I remember driving to work wishing we could do more but struggling with the new challenges we were already facing. Blessedly, that same week a billboard on my daily commute went up advertising for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s; as soon as I got home, I looked it up. Not only did I register a team I was provided with the resources we so desperately needed. The New Mexico Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association has truly helped my family cope with the many challenges we have as a family living and caring for someone with dementia and Alzheimer’s.
The unfortunate reality that is our daily life is, sadly, all too common. More than 6 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s and it is the 6th leading cause of death in America, killing more than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. The cost of caring for those with this horrific disease is estimated to total $355 billion this year. In New Mexico it is estimated that more than 43,000 people aged 65 and older live with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia costing New Mexico Medicaid $227 million annually. Which is why the support of the West Side Dems is so critical.
This year the Central New Mexico Walk to End Alzheimer’s – the world’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support, and research, is happening in our own backyard! This inspiring event is scheduled for October 9, 2021 at Mariposa Basin Park and we want you to join us!
The West Side Dems have formed a Walk Team and will join others in our region to support our mission to End Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. You can join our team by visiting our Walk Team page online at: https://act.alz.org/goto/WestSideDems or by clicking the link above.
We are planning every Walk with the health and safety of our constituents, staff and volunteers as our top priorities. All events will implement safety protocols including physical distancing, masks (where required), contactless registration, hand sanitizing stations and more. We will continue to closely monitor Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), state and local guidelines to ensure Walk events adhere to recommendations and are safe for attendees.
I often think about the critical issues that affect so many New Mexicans and I am grateful to individuals like you and organizations like the West Side Dems who understand our needs and fight for them. Specifically, the urgent need to address issues impacting the “Sandwich Generation”; individuals like me and my siblings who are responsible for raising their own children and providing care for aging and ailing parents. This is a generation of very tired and very stressed out individuals and we need help.
We must ensure we are providing New Mexicans with adequate funding for improved child well-being from the cradle to career, to address priority areas for seniors and adults with disabilities, and to support the 108,000 unpaid family caregivers in New Mexico. I applaud and am so grateful to our democratic leadership for addressing these critical priorities. From Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham by supporting the Early Childhood Trust Fund and the Kiki Saavedra Senior Dignity Fund, to Representatives Linda Serrato, Roger E. Montoya, Marian Matthews, and Deborah A. Armstrong for sponsoring the legislation for long-term care dementia training requirements (which was signed into law on April 6, 2021), and to the leaders from the legislature for carrying these important bills and to the Aging & Long Term Service Department and the Public Education, Early Childhood Education, and Higher Education Departments for taking the lead on advocating for these issues. Child well-being, Senior care, and resources for caregivers are not sole and separate issues, they are intersectional and we need to support and pass each one to ensure the care and well-being for all New Mexicans.
As a member of the West Side Dems and as the Co-Chair for this year’s Central New Mexico Walk to End Alzheimer’s and most important as my mother’s daughter words cannot express how much your support means to me.
Thank you, truly.