September 2009

In case you missed it, there has been some great media coverage throughout our Chapter area for Memory Walk.

September 13, 2009 | Chicago
View ABC News video >>

September 15, 2009 | Naperville
Memory Walk gets personal for participants

September 17, 2009 | Normal
Alzheimer's patient's art raising money to fund programs

September 29, 2009 | Decatur 
Family copes with day-to-day challenges of Alzheimer's disease while raising awareness for Memory Walk

December 2007
Being Forgetful

As a test of your memory, read the following list of words only once, and then see how many you can remember when you are told to recall them later in this article (And don't peek!) -- Dream, nod, sheet, tired, night, insomnia, blanket, night, artichoke, alarm, nap, night, snore, pillow.

Social worker Daniel Kuhn of the Greater Illinois Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association gave this test to a group gathered recently at the North Shore Senior Center in Northfield, and the results were somewhat surprising.  Read more >>

November 2007
Police Chief with Early Onset Reaches Out to Others

View NBC Nightly News video >>
Listen to WJBC radio interview >>

October 31, 2007
Alzheimer's Association introduces new services for people affected by the disease 
November is National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month, National Family Caregivers Month

This November the Alzheimer's Association, the leading resource for Alzheimer's care, is launching a suite of resources that provide information to ease decision-making, build skills to care for loved ones and keep people living with the disease safe. November is both National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month and National Family Caregivers Month.  Read more >>

July 23, 2007
VICTORY!
Illinois General Assembly Passes Resolution That Furthers State’s Commitment to Alzheimer’s Disease

The Illinois General Assembly has unanimously passed Senate Joint Resolution 43 which calls for a review of existing State services, programs, and resources for persons with Alzheimer’s disease, their families, and caregivers; an assessment of the current and future impact of Alzheimer’s disease on Illinoisans; and the development of a more comprehensive State Alzheimer’s Plan in response to this public health crisis.

Please contact Senator David Koehler, (D, 46th Dist.) at his Springfield or District office at (217) 782-8250 or (309) 346-4646 as well as Representative Patricia R. Bellock, (R, 47th Dist.) at her Springfield or District office at (217) 782-1448 or (630) 852-8633 to thank them for sponsoring Senate Joint Resolution 43 and being Champions on behalf of the more than half a million Illinois residents affected by Alzheimer’s, including 210,000 people with the disease, plus their family members and caregivers.

Friday, May 18, Chicago
5th Annual Forget Me Not Days®

Volunteers from Bankers Life and Casualty Company wil be out in force in downtown Chicago all day on Friday, May 18, for the 5th Annual Forget Me Not Days to raise funds for the Alzheimers Association - Greater Illinois Chapter.

Be on the lookout for Bankers voluneers, Bankers executives and Alzheimer's Association staff at these downtown Chicago locations on Friday between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m.

• Daley Plaza
• Dearborn Street Bridge
• Michigan Avenue Bridge
• The Merchandise Mart
• The 600 West Chicago Building
• Tribune Building

They will be wearing distinctive green gardening aprons and will be handing out packets of Forget-Me-Not seeds as a thank you for each donation The Bankers Life and Casualty Company hopes you will plant the seeds in honor of the more than 5 million Americans with Alzheimer's disease.

Bankers Life and Casualty Company, established in 1879 in Chicago, is a national corporate sponsor of the Alzheimer's Association 

 

April 16, 2007
Alzheimer’s Association launches Champions campaign

The Alzheimer’s Association has kicked off its Champions Consumer Campaign, the first national effort to dispel public misperceptions and move people to take action in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. The goal is to enlist 5 million Champions – at least one for each person living with Alzheimer’s in the United States.

The new campaign features a diverse and committed group of stars sharing personal stories and lending their faces to a motivating portrait exhibit as Champions for Alzheimer’s disease. David Hyde Pierce, Dick Van Dyke, Vivica A. Fox, Olympia Dukakis, Peter Gallagher, Victor Garber, Ricki Lake and Lea Thompson, among others, are urging Americans to learn about the disease and get involved in fighting it.

In addition, national magazines are running provocative print ads depicting an image that represents the struggle someone with the disease – and their loved ones – experiences as the disease progresses. The ads aim to overcome perceptions that the disease is just about old people becoming forgetful, as research shows that this misperception fuels complacency. The copy decisively asks Americans to stand up and represent people who suffer from Alzheimer’s by using key words – Voice, Move and Open – that invite a certain action.

To find out more about Alzheimer’s disease or what you can do to help further the cause, visit the Association’s new campaign Web site, http://www.actionalz.org/.

 

April 2007
Chapter welcomes Paul Caponigri, Stephen Hester to board of directors

Paul A. Caponigri and Stephen P. Hester were elected to the Greater Illinois Chapter Board of Directors in January.  Chapter board members volunteer their time and energy to work with staff and other volunteers to achieve the Chapter’s strategic goals and mission.  

“We look forward to having Paul and Steve on our board,” said Stephen C. Mack, board chair. “Each will bring great energy and compassion and are driven by a “can-do” attitude to put an end to this disease in our lifetimes.”

Paul Caponigri, MBA, CPA, is Chief Financial Officer for Diversified CPC International in Channahon and is responsible for asset and risk management, and overseeing accounting, human resources and customer service. He previously held various accounting and finance positions in the Chicago area.  Paul earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Dominican University in River Forest, his master’s degree in finance from Roosevelt University in Chicago and his CPA in November 1983. He is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and the Illinois CPA Society.

Stephen Hester is President of Hester Franchising, LLC, in Skokie and is President of Hester Decorating Co., Inc., in Skokie, for residential and commercial painting and faux finishing since 1996, and managing partner in Hester Enterprises, LLC, a real estate development company, since 1998. He co-founded Fairways of America, LLC, a golf merchandising company in Chicago in 1996 and was Operations Manager and General Manager of Heitman Financial, Ltd., properties in Rosemont and Chicago. Stephen earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration, real estate finance from the University of Miami, Florida School of Business in 1990 and his master’s degree in business administration from Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management in 2004.

March 2007
Chapter offers car donation program

The Greater Illinois Chapter and Seguin Services, Inc., offer a car donation program for people interested in making tax-deductible Gift-in-Kind donations of automobiles or other vehicles.

Proceeds of the subsequent sale of donated cars come to both organizations, with the Greater Illinois Chapter receiving 85 percent of car sale proceeds for programs and services for people affected by Alzheimer’s disease, and with Seguin Services receiving 15 percent of car sale proceeds for programs that support children and adults with disabilities.

 “We are pleased our partnership with Seguin Services is a win-win situation for everyone,” said Kent Barnheiser, president and CEO of the Chapter. “Donors have a smooth-running car donation experience working with professional and friendly staff and can feel good knowing their cars will be sold at a licensed used car dealership to people looking for reliable transportation at an affordable price,” he added.

Seguin staff receives donated cars and puts sells them at The Auto Marketplace, its licensed used car dealership and a division of SEGUINWORKS. Seguin provides documentation of the transaction for donors and details of the sale, including the information about the car, date of the sale and the selling price. The car program is registered with the state, maintains accurate and detailed records for all donations, and exceeds state requirements aimed at protecting donors and the charities that receive proceeds from car sales. For more information, visit www.seguin.org.

 

 

 

January 12, 2007
Chapter hosts Rosca de Reyes at Mexican Consulate

 

On January 12, the Greater Illinois Chapter commemorated Rosca de Reyes by hosting a
reception at the Mexican Consulate in Chicago for Carlos Sada, Consul General, and more than 100 guests from state, city and community-based organizations serving Hispanic communities.

Many Hispanic and Latino cultures commemorate Rosca de Reyes, or the Feast of the Three Kings, with family and friends gathering to celebrate the end of the Christmas season and to renew commitments to helping family members and friends in the coming year.

“Our Rosca de Reyes event radiated more warmth and enthusiasm than I could have imagined,” said Constantina Mizis, Multicultural Outreach Manager and event coordinator. “So many people renewed acquaintances, met new colleagues and talked about partnerships. As I introduced Senor Anibal Gomez, Deputy Consul General, who spoke on behalf of the Consul General, I said we came together – as families do – to help each other help our communities where our families live and work. For us, this means new opportunities to educate families through the media, health agencies, health care providers and churches, and in community centers. It also was a wonderful way to start the new year.”

Pausing during the festive Rosca de Reyes at the Consulate of Mexico in Chicago are (from left) G. Kent Barnheiser, president and CEO; Senor Anibal Gomez, Deputy Consul General of the   Consulate, Constantina Mizis, Multicultural Outreach Manager; Stephen C. Mack, Chair of the Board of Directors; and Erna Colborn, Chief Operating Officer.

Did You Know … Rosca de Reyes festivities culminate when guests receive large wedges from an oval-shaped twisted loaf of bread adorned with crystallized fruits. You must eat carefully, though; for centuries, bakers placed toy replicas of the infant Jesus inside the bread dough and the person receiving the prize in his bread then must invite everyone to his home for another feast four weeks later.

 

October 2006
New office in Joliet

Community leaders, volunteers and well-wishers joined Greater Illinois Chapter staff and members of the chapter's board of directors on October 12 to cut the ribbon for the Chapter's new office in Joliet. Pictured are (from left): Cindy Marsden, senior office manager; Sen. A. J. Wilhelmi (District 43); Melanie Adams, program manager; Stephen C. Mack, chair of the board of directors; Kent Barnheiser, chapter president and CEO; Leann Favero, manager, special events; Rachael Ferro, office manager; Larry Walsh, Will County Executive; Don Marsden. From this office, we provide information, programming, resources and support for residents in Grundy, Iroquois, Kankakee and Will Counties. The office is at 1150 Essington Rd., Suite 109, Joliet, IL 60435. The phone number is 815.744.0804.

 

October 2006
Chapter awarded two grants to support professional training

The Chapter's Professional Training Institute received two grants aimed at improving the knowledge and skill of professionals who care for people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

1 - Train Adult Day Center Staff

When Sen. William Haine (District 56) of Alton earmarked $1 million in the state budget this spring, the Illinois Department of Public Health authorized a one-year grant for the four Association chapters serving Illinois to educate and train staff of adult day centers enrolled in Illinois' Community Care Program.

Our Chapter has programmatic and fiscal oversight for the project and we are working closely with the Central Illinois, Greater Iowa and St. Louis Chapters. There are two main parts to the project:

• Scholarships for 440 staff of adult day centers to attend chapter conferences and seminars.
• Two train-the-trainer programs (the "Illinois Dementia Care Train-the-Trainer" and the "Best Friends™ Approach to Alzheimer's Care").

2 - Develop Train-the-Trainer Program for Special Care Unit Staff

We will use $25,000 in grant funding from the Illinois Council on Long Term Care Foundation to develop interactive modules for a train-the-trainer program for staff that work in nursing homes with dementia Special Care Units (SCUs).

Illinois law now requires all SCU staff to obtain 12 hours of continuing education annually. After we develop and test the curriculum, we will roll it out statewide.

 

October 2006
New online training for professionals

Web-based training is a new and increasingly popular tool, and we now offer several online training opportunities for staff caring for people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

• CARES: A Dementia Caregiving Approach consists of six, one-hour training modules that are geared primarily to direct care workers, particularly nursing assistants. Each module uses text and streaming video that illustrate how to best care for people with dementia living in residential care settings. For a description of the modules, group pricing plans and a free demo, visit http://www.caresprogram.com/
• Learning Academy Online Training educates administrative, healthcare, activities, and social service staff on different aspects of dementia care. Eight self-paced modules are now available and will add more modules soon. The fee is $20 per module and Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are included. For details and to register, visit http://www.alzceu.org/
• Dementia Care Training for Team Leaders provides guidance for those who supervise others involved in the care of people with dementia: nurses, unit coordinators, administrators, activity directors or others in leadership positions. Teamwork and supervision are core elements of this one-hour program. This course costs $25 per person and volume discounts are available. For a free demo and to register, visit https://www5.myvlp.com/landing/alz/index.php?client_id=3759