80 Strong Team Take a Walk for Memories

An 80 strong team of Anglican Care staff, families and friends will be participating in the upcoming ‘Memory Walk & Jog’ for Alzheimer’s Australia in Teralba this weekend. 

Each jog they take raises funds and awareness for Alzheimer’s and Dementia with more than 413,106 Australians living with dementia. It is the second leading cause of death in Australia and there is no cure. Each week, there are 1,800 new cases of dementia in Australia; one person every six minutes.

Being at the frontline of this illness and its effects on families, Anglican Care’s staff are intimately aware of the need for support and research for those living with Alzheimer’s.

The family of Annie Coombes (80 in September), who lives in Anglican Care’s McIntosh Court at Booragul, are wholeheartedly behind the event and the illness that affects their mother and grandmother. 

“As I work in aged care, I was very aware of the signs of dementia. As I was visiting mum it started to become clear that she was unwell. Mum’s memory was beginning to fail, she was becoming forgetful in what she was doing and forgetting her friends from Bingo. It was clear that Mum could no longer live independently,” said Annie’s daughter Sandra McQuattie. 

“She was able to live with my sister for a period of time, however it became evident that it was time for Mum to transition into permanent care. This is when Mum moved into Anglican Care’s Demential Specific McIntosh Court.” 

“Mum has been rapidly declining since she broke her hip in December. As a family, it is extremely hard for us to see the illness taking over and us losing the essence of our beautiful mother, grandmother and great grandmother. It is important for us to do whatever we can to support dementia awareness, research and fundraising. There will be 6 of us participating in the Memory Walk and we are all walking for mum; its my sister, my nieces, great nieces and of course me,” continues Ms McQuattie.

Whilst not all of them are able to participate; Anglican Care’s 900+ staff are all behind the walk and what it stands for. 

“Alzheimer’s and Dementia is a cause that is close to the hearts of our staff and the impact of the disease is something our staff deal with on a daily basis,”.said Kylie Jacques, Marketing Manager at Anglican Care. 

“It is really our honour to support and participate in the Memory Walk; we will do anything to raise awareness and much needed funds for research and development in this area. It is our largest area of growth and that is of great concern to us and should be for the entire community,” she said. 

The event raises money for those suffering Dementia and their carers. The event is held in both the Hunter Region and Port Macquarie, Anglican Care has a team participating in each event. Funds raised will assist Alzheimer’s Australia NSW’s ability to provide vital support services and professional training. A portion of the money will go directly to the local dementia centre in Port Macquarie.

The Memory Walk 
Hunter Region - Tulkaba Park, Teralba Sunday 21st May

Port Macquarie - Westport Park, Port Macquarie Sunday 4th June 2017.

Find out more about Anglican Care.