OCEAN CITY — Two local organizations are joining hands again, this time to help raise money and boost awareness of Alzheimer’s disease.
Michele Ecolani-Musto, volunteer services coordinator and external marketing manager for The Shores, a UMC Community and Glen Stewart of Thrivent, a non-profit Christian wealth management firm, have reached out to their respective networks and gathered a large group to take part in the 2024 Walk to End Alzheimer’s on Saturday, Oct. 26, on the Ocean City boardwalk.
Hosted by the Alzheimer’s Association, the event begins with registration at 8:30 a.m. at the Ocean City Sports & Civic Center at Sixth Street, followed by a Promise Garden Ceremony at 10:15 a.m. and the walk at 10:30. Online registration is available at alz.org/delval/walk.
Both organizations are supporting the walk financially as well as physically. They are sponsors of the walk and are gathering a group — Team Thrivent and Team Tapestries — to take part in the annual event.
“We are financial sponsors but also each recruited a team,” Ecolani-Musto said, noting The Shores has a “vibrant volunteer program.”
Stewart’s network through Thrivent extends across the country, and he said “a bunch of Thrivent folks from the Philly market” would be taking part.
Stewart, an Upper Township resident since 1992, has a personal connection — his father suffered from Alzheimer’s until his death several years ago — and is using his position with Thrivent to work toward helping those in need.
“I watched him slowly degenerate in front of your eyes,” Stewart said, noting the pain of the long decline.
“When I lost my father, people said, ‘You must be sad that you lost your father,’ but I thought to myself that I really lost him five or six years ago. He didn’t know who I was, that’s the sad thing about this disease,” Stewart said.
The rollercoaster of emotions as well as the necessary commitment of time and money takes a toll on loved ones and caregivers, many filling both roles, he said.
“That’s where Thrivent can help,” he said, adding it is a full-fledged financial management firm.
Ecolani-Musto also has a personal connection, as both of her grandmothers had dementia and passed away decades ago before she knew anything about the disease.
She has since learned that socialization is the key to maintaining brain health.
“People didn’t know exactly how much they could be a part of making somebody’s life still feel relevant and connected and engaged,” Ecolani-Musto said. “Even if someone’s not verbal any more, they can still feel joy, still feel emotions. For us to bring in those emotions of joy and connection, engagement and involvement and happiness and fellowship, that’s a huge gift, and walking together is a way for us to say that we have the caregivers’ back.”
Connections,
relationships
Stewart, a member of St. John Lutheran Church in Ocean City, first met Ecolani-Musto when he and other parishioners approached The Shores about doing something to benefit the residents of The Shores.
Ecolani-Musto said they decided to spruce up the courtyard in Tapestries, the memory care wing of the assisted living facility on Bay Avenue.
Stewart provided a Thrivent Action Team, using one of his yearly $250 gifts the company provides members to do good in their community, to buy mums and other fall decor, as well as host a lunch for volunteers and nurses at the facility. During the event, it became clear that it benefited not just the residents but the staff as well.
“When we have volunteer groups that come over, it’s not just supporting the residents who live there, it’s supporting the staff,” Ecolani-Musto said. “Sometimes it is just so encouraging and supportive for our staff because here comes a group of compassionate volunteers who are dedicated to doing something for others for nothing.”
They developed a relationship that led to this new partnership supporting Alzheimer’s disease and the millions of caregivers who pay for their volunteerism emotionally, financially and physically.
“We understand the challenges, particularly for the caregivers, and we want to make sure that we have a plan so they don’t deplete their resources,” Stewart said. “That’s a real fear for a lot of people and it can happen, and we can help you with that.”
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, the disease is more than just memory loss — it is progressive and fatal. More than 6 million Americans are living with the disease and 11 million provide unpaid care for them.
Data show 6 in 10 caregivers were employed in the past year, working an average of 35 hours a week while providing care. Of those, 18 percent cut back to part-time work and 9 percent left the workforce.
In addition, 57 percent of those employed had to go to work late, leave early or take time off to care for their loved ones. Six percent retired early to do so.
According to statistics from 2022, there were 272,000 caregivers in New Jersey who provided 493,000,000 hours of unpaid care.
The load has taken its toll, with 62.3 percent experiencing chronic health conditions, 27.9 percent depression and 12.8 percent in poor physical health.
“I know that the Alzheimer’s Association raises money for research but I also think that a lot of the money goes toward providing programs, services, events to really help caregivers,” Ecolani-Musto said.
– By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff