VITALIA Strongsville Raising Alzheimer’s Awareness on the Longest Day

As we work to create light for others, we naturally light our own way.

Mary Anne Radmacher

June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, when those whose lives have been touched by memory-impairing diseases come together and raise awareness through education and support. This month includes June 21st, the summer solstice and the longest day of sunshine and light during the calendar year.

Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia affect over five million individuals in the United States alone. If we continue this current trajectory, this number is expected to triple by the year 2050. The impact of Alzheimer’s on individuals and those who love them is astounding. Memory, personality, problem solving, safety awareness, decision making, relationships – all these things and more are affected through no fault or choice of the individual. For families, this can feel like a loss that never seems to end.

While dementia is incredibly challenging for everyone involved, there are ways that each one of us can bring light to the darkness.

The Longest Day is the day with the most light, which simply means that the sun will be above the horizon for more time than it is on any other day of the year, the summer solstice. On June 21st, people from across the world will fight the darkness of Alzheimer’s through a fundraising activity. It’s the day we raise awareness and fight the stigma associated with this disease.

As a Memory Care Director, The Longest Day means that we need to step up and join the cause for the fight against Alzheimer’s. It’s a day that we all come together to fight “the darkness of Alzheimer’s.” It’s a day when all our voices come together as one to raise awareness and fundraise for care, support, and research. The Longest Day is when caregivers, families, and friends come together to honor the strength of those facing this horrible disease, “A Day of Memory.”

We will be celebrating The Longest Day in VITALIA Senior Residences® at Strongsville Strongsville, OH by spending the day enjoying the outdoors. Courtyard games and reminiscing about the “good old days” are planned. We also may be doing some baking, so we can sell the goods in honor of all our residents living with this debilitating disease. Of course, we’ll all wear purple, the color for Alzheimer’s.

I think the most important way a family can contribute to our neighborhood is through volunteering and being present in the community supporting and visiting their loved ones. It’s taking the time to not only visit their family members but sitting and chatting with the other residents. Supporting the neighborhood by participating in activities and fundraisers is also very important.

Let’s join as communities throughout this month to honor, love, and support not only those living with dementia, but their families as well. If your life is personally touched by this disease, we are here for you.