Join the Walk to End Alzheimer’s Planning Committee!

Are you passionate about putting an end to Alzheimer’s disease? Do you want to get more involved with the Alzheimer’s Association and the Walk to End Alzheimer’s? Then we need you! In order to grow the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, we must continue to enlist and empower dedicated volunteers to help us extend our reach. To learn more about volunteering through our Walk Planning Committee, please visit our volunteer page!

The Alzheimer’s Association counts on volunteers to help fulfill our mission

In fiscal year 2016, 21,580 hours of service were contributed by 2,304 volunteers, all who regularly shared their time and talents serving in a variety of roles. The estimated dollar value for this volunteer time according to the Independent Sector is $508,424.80.

The Chapter provides opportunities for individuals, groups and businesses. We match volunteers’ interests and skills with available roles at each of our six offices. In some cases, volunteers are able to assist from the comfort of their home. Illinois Chapter volunteers assist with the Alzheimer’s Association Community Representative program (AACR), Advocacy, ALZ Stars, Bankers Life Forget Me Not Days, General Office, Helpline, Illinois Action Summit, Special Event/Day of Event, Special Events Committee, Support Group Facilitator, Veterans Advisory Committee, and our signature events Walk To End Alzheimer’s and The Longest Day.

SPECIAL Events Committee

What is the Walk Planning Committee?

• The Walk Planning Committee is a primarily volunteer driven committee that is comprised of subcommittees who have a focus in areas like; Team Recruitment, Team Retention, Sponsorship, Marketing and Outreach, or Logistics.
• The committee plans all year round from the kick-off to the wrap-up. Some committee members concentrate on growing the event, like recruiting new teams, covering the community in Walk materials, and securing sponsorships. Others focus on event production and find ways to enhance the event experience.

What we ask of you

• Join the committee and choose a subcommittee that best fits your skills and interests
• Attend the Volunteer Kickoff event in January to gain more information on each subcommittee, and volunteer expectations.  Attend the Committee Orientation to receive training on the basics of Alzheimer’s disease, learn about Association programs and services, and receive an introduction to the Walk event model.
• Participate in committee meetings

Meetings are held once a month and are one hour long

• In addition to committee meetings, subcommittees will meet separately via in person or conference call typically once a month; however, may increase frequency during the summer as Walk approaches.

Ready to join the Planning Committee?
Complete a Volunteer Profile today and make sure to select Special Event Committee as your area of interest. You will be contacted by a member of our staff to discuss next steps.

CREATE a Volunteer Profile

INTERNSHIPS

The Chapter provides internship opportunities to students during the fall, winter, spring and summer semesters. All internships are unpaid temporary positions with an emphasis on on-the-job training and pre-determined set goals. Students must be enrolled in an accredited college/university that requires an internship as part of their academic requirements or provides coursework credit for related field work.

Internship
Information
Open Now: Public Policy/Advocacy Internship – Winter Semester

BECOME a Volunteer

In order to become a volunteer at the Alzheimer’s Association, Illinois Chapter, we request that volunteers create a profile. This will help to inform us of your volunteer interests and availability. At the Chapter, we strive to make your volunteer experience the most rewarding. If you have a specific skill or if you are bilingual, we will work with you to determine the best volunteer position within our organization. Please click the button below to complete your volunteer profile and learn more about each of our volunteer opportunities. We look forward to speaking with you in the near future.

CREATE a Volunteer Profile

About the Alzheimer’s Association | About this Site | Security & Privacy Policy | Copyrights & Reprints | Contact Us

Main Chapter Offices
8430 W. Bryn Mawr, Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60631
612 West Glen Avenue, Peoria, IL 61614
National Headquarters
Alzheimer’s Association National Office, 225 N. Michigan Ave., Fl. 17, Chicago, IL 60601
Alzheimer’s Association is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization.
Copyright © 2012  Alzheimer’s Association^®. All rights reserved.

Our vision is a world without Alzheimer’s
Formed in 1980, the Alzheimer’s Association is the world’s leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer’s care, support and research.

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Encourage safe and useful gifts for a person living with Alzheimer’s or another dementia

Some holiday gifts may be unusable or even dangerous to a person living with Alzheimer’s or another dementia. If someone asks for gift ideas, suggest items the person needs or can easily enjoy, such as comfortable clothing, music, videos or photo albums.

The holidays are a time when family and friends often come together. But for families living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, the holidays can be challenging. Take a deep breath. With some planning and adjusted expectations, your celebrations can still be happy, memorable occasions.

• Familiarize others with the situation
• Adjust expectations
• Involve the person with dementia
• Adapt gift giving
• When the person lives in a care facility

Familiarize others with the situation

The holidays are full of emotions, so it can help to let guests know what to expect before they arrive. 

If the person is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, relatives and friends might not notice any changes. But the person with dementia may have trouble following conversation or tend to repeat him- or herself.  Family can help with communication by being patient, not interrupting or correcting, and giving the person time to finish his or her thoughts.

If the person is in the middle or late stages of Alzheimer’s, there may be significant changes in cognitive abilities since the last time an out-of-town friend or relative has visited.  These changes can be hard to accept. Make sure visitors understand that changes in behavior and memory are caused by the disease and not the person.   

You may find this easier to share changes in a letter or email that can be sent to multiple recipients. Here are some examples:

>> “I’m writing to let you know how things are going at our house. While we’re looking forward to your visit, we thought it might be helpful if you understood our current situation before you arrive.
>> “You may notice that ___ has changed since you last saw him/her. Among the changes you may notice are ___.
>> “Because ___ sometimes has problems remembering and thinking clearly, his/her behavior is a little unpredictable.
>> “Please understand that ___ may not remember who you are and may confuse you with someone else. Please don’t feel offended by this. He/she appreciates your being with us and so do I.”

For more ideas on how to let others know about changes in your loved one, join ALZConnected, our online support community where caregivers like you share tips on what has worked for them.

Adjust expectations

From our Blog

The Gift of Perspective
The stress of caregiving layered with holiday traditions can take a toll … read more.

• Call a meeting to discuss upcoming plans.
  The stress of caregiving responsibilities layered with holiday traditions can take a toll. Invite family and friends to a face-to-face meeting, or if geography is an obstacle, set up a telephone conference call. Make sure everyone understands your caregiving situation and has realistic expectations about what you can do. Be honest about any limitations or needs, such as keeping a daily routine.
• Be good to yourself.
  Give yourself permission to do only what you can reasonably manage. If you’ve always invited 15 to 20 people to your home, consider paring it down to a few guests for a simple meal. Let others contribute. Have a potluck dinner or ask them to host at their home. You also may want to consider breaking large gatherings up into smaller visits of two or three people at a time to keep the person with Alzheimer’s and yourself from getting overtired.
• Do a variation on a theme.
  If evening confusion and agitation are a problem, consider changing a holiday dinner into a holiday lunch or brunch. If you do keep the celebration at night, keep the room well-lit and try to avoid any known triggers.

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Involve the person with dementia

• Build on past traditions and memories.
  Focus on activities that are meaningful to the person with dementia. Your family member may find comfort in singing old holiday songs or looking through old photo albums.
• Involve the person in holiday preparation.
  As the person’s abilities allow, invite him or her to help you prepare food, wrap packages, help decorate or set the table. This could be as simple as having the person measure an ingredient or hand decorations to you as you put them up. (Be careful with decoration choices. Blinking lights may confuse or scare a person with dementia, and decorations that look like food could be mistaken as edible.) 
• Maintain a normal routine.
  Sticking to the person’s normal routine will help keep the holidays from becoming disruptive or confusing. Plan time for breaks and rest.

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Adapt gift giving

Reduce post-holiday stress.

Arrange for respite care so you can enjoy a movie or lunch with a friend.

• Encourage safe and useful gifts for the person with dementia.
  Diminishing capacity may make some gifts unusable or even dangerous to a person with dementia. If someone asks for gift ideas, suggest items the person with dementia needs or can easily enjoy. Ideas include: an identification bracelet (available through MedicAlert^® + Alzheimer’s Association Safe Return^®), comfortable clothing, audiotapes of favorite music, videos and photo albums.
• Put respite care on your wish list.
  If friends or family ask what you want for a gift, suggest a gift certificate or something that will help you take care of yourself as you care for your loved one. This could be a cleaning or household chore service, an offer to provide respite care, or something that provides you with a bit of rest and relaxation.

When the person lives in a care facility

A holiday is still a holiday whether it is celebrated at home or at a care facility. Here are some ways to celebrate together:

• Consider joining your loved one in any facility-planned holiday activities
• Bring a favorite holiday food to share
• Sing holiday songs and ask if other residents can join in
• Read a favorite holiday story or poem out loud

We Can Help

Do you have questions or concerns about your loved one’s changing behavior? The Alzheimer’s Association is here to help.

• Call our 24/7 Helpline: 800.272.3900
• Locate a support group in your community
• Visit our message boards

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Watch “Unforgettable: Living with Alzheimer’s” online

In support of those battling Alzheimer’s disease, WGN aired a special titled “Unforgettable: Living With Alzheimer’s.” The hour-long special takes a look at the growing elder population and continuing growth of Alzheimer’s disease in people’s lives. The special, which is hosted by WGN’s Dina Bair and Dean Richard, features discussions with doctors, patients, caregivers and Alzheimer’s Association, Greater Illinois Chapter staff.

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Woman living with memory loss celebrates the season by being true to herself

Alzheimer’s Association 2016 National Early-Stage Advisor Lonni Schicker was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment in 2014. The former teacher says that people living with dementia shouldn’t force themselves to be excited or joyous just because it’s the holiday season. “Celebrate the season by being you and giving what you can,” she writes. “Savor the moment.”

I was a college professor and nurse with my doctorate in education when I started having memory problems that were concerning me. Students had complained of inconsistent homework assignments, and my son Dan noticed that I was repeating myself in our phone conversations. Then one day while giving a speech in Washington D.C. about medical ethics, I totally blanked about where I was and why I was there – in the middle of my speech. That was a major turning point.

This was in 2014, and I was living in North Dakota. My physician acknowledged that she had noticed a change in me as well, and I was referred for neuropsychological testing. After completing those tests and a follow-up evaluation at Washington University in St. Louis, my diagnosis was confirmed as mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Before I fully adjusted to living with this disease, the news was devastating to me. I couldn’t teach any longer; teaching completely depends on your ability to think on your feet and plan – things I was no longer able to do consistently. It was also devastating for my family, my always being so bright and articulate and then suddenly having speech pattern issues. The uncertainty of where “it goes from here” was overwhelming for them, but we have all adjusted and are doing very well.

My sister Mary and my son Dan and I are a team. We have made some heavy decisions – where I was going to live (I moved in with Dan), how we were going to gauge what I could and couldn’t do, what was safe, what wasn’t. We put plans of action into place. Sometimes it’s the little things, like how Dan calls me before he leaves work so I can start dinner then and not have the stove on all day.

Lonni’s son Daniel.

I didn’t realize until I received this diagnosis that this support was always there. Not many people have a single 30-year-old son who would take them in and disrupt their life for the sake of their mother, but Dan does it without any regret or resentment. I didn’t realize how steadfast he and my sister were. They both instantly rallied and started taking care of everything I needed. I am in awe of them, and eternally grateful. I can’t imagine my life or going through this without them.

I have always done most or all of the cooking on Thanksgiving, but this year everyone brought something and I cooked the turkey and dressing. I knew Christmas would be a challenge, so my sister will be hosting Christmas this year. I have to change things around a bit to accommodate the fact that I’m not functioning at the same level I was previously. It doesn’t decrease the amount of joy and love we have at Christmas – in fact, we appreciate it more. My sister’s husband is also living with dementia, so we all take advantage of the time we do have together.

This Christmas, we will open half of the gifts on Christmas Eve and half on Christmas morning. We used to celebrate Christmas mornings with our immediate family but now we try to do more things together as an extended family. We are aware that we have more limited time and a need to be together. And actually, this arrangement has made it more fun!

I miss teaching a lot; I worked really hard to get the point where I could teach full-time. It was my goal for so long and I only got to do it for three years. Having said that, I’m a person who believes you just have to adjust your sails and go where the wind is taking you, even if it’s a place you weren’t planning on traveling.

And sometimes we do get to choose where we travel. This Christmas day, after we go to my sister’s home, my son and I are going to drive the 14 hours to North Dakota to see friends I previously taught with who I haven’t seen in two years. It’s people like them, my family and the friends who have stuck by my side who remind me that I am really lucky to have the time that I have. The life I am living now is not the life I planned, but I am living it.

To everyone living with dementia: do not put pressure on yourself to be what you aren’t anymore. Don’t force yourself to be excited or joyous just because it is the holiday season. You will feel better if you relax and be yourself and do what you can do. Don’t worry about what you can’t do anymore. Don’t try to live up to other people’s expectations. If you’re the person who has always cooked all of the food for the holiday gathering, it’s okay to be the person who does just some of it now. It is much more enjoyable than trying to be what you can’t be. Celebrate the season by being you, and giving what you can. Savor the moment.

About the Author: As an Alzheimer’s Association 2016 National Early-Stage Advisor, Lonni Schicker would like to help reduce the stigma surrounding a dementia diagnosis and raise awareness for the value of an early diagnosis. She enjoys cooking and crafting and lives in St. Louis with her son Dan.

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Urgent: You can make 2x the impact before tomorrow. – Alzheimer’s disease

Our deadline to raise $500,000 is tomorrow — can we count on you to help us reach our goal and provide twice as much help and hope to people fighting Alzheimer’s disease?
Thanks to long-time supporter Mary B. Smith, every donation we receive by December 20 — up to a total of $500,000 — can go twice as far to help fund care and support services, as well as exciting research with the potential to discover methods of treatment, prevention and, ultimately, a cure. Mary makes this gift in memory of her husband, Rodney, to help further Alzheimer’s prevention research.
When you give before midnight tomorrow, your tax-deductible gift of $35 can become $70, your $60 can become $120 or your $120 can become $240. Along with offering care and support for those affected by Alzheimer’s disease, your gift can help our efforts to advance critical research for methods of treatment, prevention and, ultimately, a cure.
Please help us reach our $500,000 goal before it’s too late. With your support today, we can get one step closer to achieving our vision of a world without Alzheimer’s disease.

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