About us
The Alzheimer’s Association, Big Sioux Chapter serves 21 counties throughout metro Sioux City, northwest Iowa, northeast Nebraska, and southeast South Dakota. Established in 1987, the Big Sioux Chaper provides information and referral services, care consultation, education and training, and advocates for the estimated 10,000 to 12,000 greater Siouxland residents living with Alzheimer's disease or some other form of dementia.
In addition to our core services, the Big Sioux Chapter provides in-home respite care as well as the area's only dementia-specific adult day service. Since 1994, Senior Day Services has provided safe, supervised care in a social environment to Sioux City area residents with dementia, or ill and frail older adults.
Employment opportunities at the Big Sioux Chapter
Our mission is to eliminate Alzheimer's disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected; and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health.
Our vision is a world without Alzheimer's disease.
Financial information
The Alzheimer's Association, Big Sioux Chapter is a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) nonprofit, donor-supported organization. Programs and services are made possible through contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations. The Chapter uses 79.7 percent of funds raised for programs, services and research efforts.
Annual report
- FY07 Annual Report (PDF)
- FY06 Annual Report (PDF)
- FY05 Annual Report (PDF)
Board of Directors – Big Sioux Chapter
Officers, 2008-09
Chuck Robbins, Chair
Jeanie Hohenstein, 1st Vice-Chair
Barbara Arens, 2nd Vice-Chair
James Feauto, Secretary
Lori Shaffer, Treasurer
Directors: Cindy Aspeotis, Sheila Bernstein, Susan Fenceroy, Patrick Gill, Kevin McManamy, Robert Meis, Rev. Richard Moore, Larry Sellers, MD, Lori Shaffer, and David Grosenheider.
Our History
In 1983 a small group of Sioux Cityans came together to provide support for other local families who, like themselves, had members diagnosed with what was then an almost unknown disease. This support group provided a listening ear and an opportunity for individuals to share personal experiences and discuss financial, medical and social concerns. In 1987, the group was granted official status as a Chapter of the national Alzheimer’s Association; the next year, the new Big Sioux Chapter was presented with the Governor's Volunteer Award for their efforts. In-home respite care services began in 1989.
The early 1990s saw the scope and size of the Chapter growing quickly, including the first Education Conference, the first Memory Walk, the first Night of Wine and Roses, and the establishment of the area's only dementia-specific adult day service in response to local demand and the lack of any other alternative services. Senior Day Services continues to operate today, providing over twenty thousand hours of safe, supervised care a year to Siouxland residents with cognitive or functional impairments.
Dueing the late 90s, regional branch offices in the communities of Sheldon and Carroll made it easier for the Chapter to provide support and assistance to rural Iowans. In addition, a groundbreaking conference was convened by the Chapter in April 1998 in order to develop community-based strategies for identifying and responding to the needs of individuals with Alzheimer's who live alone.
Twenty years later, the Chapter continues to provide help and hope to thousands in its 21-county service area who are affected by Alzheimer’s and other memory loss disorders. Support groups still operate – nearly 20 throughout the region – but they are now joined by a variety of other services and programs. While knowledge about Alzheimer’s has grown considerably and advances in treatment help to alleviate the effects of some of its symptoms, the firsthand experiences of these individuals (and the family members who care for them) have remained largely unchanged.
