National Alzheimer Hero Day 20 October 2006

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Friday, 20th October, is National Alzheimer Hero Day and The Alzheimer Society of Ireland is hoping children of all ages will record their thoughts about the ordinary and extraordinary heroes in their lives by participating in their Write to Remember Campaign.

Hero Day is the Alzheimer Society of Ireland’s National school awareness and educational programme. The Society wants to proactively build awareness of dementia amongst children and help them to break down the significant stigma attached to the condition as well as support their development as young writers.

Almost 100 primary schools around Ireland have signed up to participate in the Write-To-Remember Campaign which is taking place throughout the month of October – Children’s Book Festival Month. This year Kildare born author who is featuring in the Book Festival, Mary Arrigan, has agreed to become the inspirational figurehead for National Alzheimer’s Hero Day.

Mary has captured the imagination of children of all ages and is an award-winning author of over 30 books for children and teenagers. She has won the Hennessy Short Story Award, the Sunday Times/CWA Short Story Award and the International White Raven’s Award. Mary’s latest book “Chocolate Moon” is about the relationship between a boy called Chris and his grandmother who has Alzheimer’s disease. The book is dedicated to her father, Brendan Nolan, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in his late sixties.

Mary acknowledges that her dad was the inspirational hero in her life. As Mary says in the introduction of “Chocolate Moon”, “my dad was my hero. When I was little he had answers for all my weird questions. He told me fantastic stories and made my life exciting and fun. Part of his job was to take away library books from houses where there were horrible illnesses like TB or polio. But my dad loved books so much he just couldn’t bring himself to burn them. So he gave them to my brother and me and told us we might not live to the end of the book, we might catch TB or polio too. There’s nothing like a death threat to make a book more exciting. Dad spoke Italian and adored music – he could sing all the songs from every opera written by Verdi.

“When he began to forget things, we knew that bit-by-bit we were losing our brilliant father. He had Alzheimer’s disease and was slipping away slowly into his own world. I like to think of my father is somewhere colourful, singing all those Verdi operas out of tune,” said Mary. There are currently 38,000 people with dementia in Ireland. In 2026 there will be 70,115 and in 2036 there will be 103,998. There are 50,000 carers of people with dementia in Ireland and it is estimated that the lives of about 400,000 family members are directly affected by dementia, many of these children.

Every child reacts differently when someone in their family develops a dementia but all need clear explanations and plenty of reassurance in order to cope with the changing situation. Though the facts of a dementia might be distressing to them, it often comes as a relief to know that their grandparent’s or relative’s strange behaviour is part of an explained illness and not directed at them.

In her book “Chocolate Moon” Mary contributes hugely to our understanding of how children feel when a grandparent is diagnosed with Alzheimer's. She catalogues superbly the sort of emotions that can overwhelm children when they watch a grandparent or a relative sink deeper into an unknown world of confusion and frustration. She highlights how important it is that children understand that just being with the person with dementia and showing love and affection is the most important thing they can do.

The Write to Remember campaign is aimed at children from first to sixth classes and allows them to express their intuition and feelings in response to real or imaginary situations through writing. The Society is hoping that the Hero Day Write-to-Remember Campaign will help children to find their own voices and develop their own ideas about who are the hero’s in their lives. Children are being challenged to write daily for a period of 10 straight days during the month of October and are supported in their efforts through sponsorship by family and friends.

If you would like any further information about Alzheimer Hero Day or the Write to Remember Campaign contact Margaret Downes, Press Officer, Alzheimer Society of Ireland Ph (01) 2846616 Mob 086 8527272 or email mdownes@alzheimer.ie

Helping Children Understand Alzheimer’s Disease

When someone in your family has Alzheimer Disease

You may have someone in your family who has Alzheimer Disease. Alzheimer’s affects the person’s brain. When people forget, they get confused, they have trouble speaking and taking care of themselves.

Scientists don’t know why people get Alzheimer’s disease, but they are working hard to find a cause so they can stop it from happening. You can’t get Alzheimer’s disease from another person, like the cold or the flu. Just because someone in your family has the disease, it doesn’t mean you will get it.

Alzheimer disease is not a normal part of growing old. Most people who have the disease are over 65 but sometimes (not very often) people in the 40s and 50s get it too. As people get older, their chances of developing the disease increases.

People with Alzheimer disease may forget your name, see or hear things that are not there, get lost, have trouble sleeping or say the same things over and over. This can cause them to become frustrated or nervous and they may get angry with you for no reason. It is important to know that they do not mean to treat you badly. It is not your fault if the person gets upset. Alzheimer disease makes the person act in this way.

Taking care of someone with Alzheimer’s disease is a hard job. If your mum or dad is taking care of someone with the disease, they are probably very busy. You may find that they do not have as much time to spend with you. You may feel sad or angry with this but it is important to remember that they still love you. People with Alzheimer’s disease also need know you care. When you hold their hand or give them a hug, they will always feel your love.

Dementia & Alzheimer’s Disease - The Facts:

The Alzheimer Society of Ireland

The Alzheimer Society of Ireland is a national voluntary organisation established by two carers in 1982, in response to the need for services and support for people with dementia and their carers. The Society grew steadily and today it’s the foremost dementia-specific service provider in Ireland, with an extensive national network of 26 branches, 29 centres, over 300 volunteers, 500 staff, and 2,600 members.

Irish author, Mary Arrigan, encourages primary school children to record their thoughts about the ordinary and extraordinary heroes in their lives to help celebrate National Alzheimer Hero Day