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Hélène Letnick 
I love my mom.
She has always been kind, gentle and patient with me, especially during my teenage years. She taught me a lot over the years and still does.
My mom is 86 years old and she has Alzheimer’s. She teaches me to take one day at a time and be grateful for every moment; the good ones and the not so good ones because it’s probably during the “bad” moments that I learn the most and also they make the good moments feel sweeter.
The word “Alzheimer’s” is not really part of mom’s vocabulary because she doesn’t know it is part of her world. But because of where she is right now, she teaches me to be patient, to be compassionate and to love.
For years I had seen signs of the disease and hoped that it was only because she was ‘getting old’. In January 2010 she contracted a virus that took away the hearing in her left ear and from then on the signs became more and more frequent. By the fall she was diagnosed.
I didn’t know much about Alzheimer’s. This is when the Interior Health Authority put me in contact with the Alzheimer Society of B.C.
I attended one workshop on dementia and it opened a window to the world my mother was in. I connected with First Link® and it gave me someone to reach out to. I am so grateful for the kind, listening ear and advice over the phone.
This spring, I attended a five-week workshop on various aspects of Alzheimer’s and related dementias. The information was tremendously valuable from understanding behaviour, communication skills, and legal/financial affairs. But do you know what I’ll never forget? It’s the knowledge and special feeling that mom and I are not alone in this. To be able to meet and talk with other caregivers who are going through the same challenges was very comforting. I might never see most of these people again, but through the Alzheimer Society we were able to connect and share, even for a brief moment.
There, I found out about the program Minds in Motion™ and now mom and I go out once a week for a fun fitness class and social time.
It is not an easy time. It is an exhausting time, but this is the time I have with my mom right now and I am grateful. It is not the way I envisioned these last years but with the help of the Alzheimer Society of B.C., the support of various groups, amazing friends and my family, we will see it through.
Hélène Letnick, Kelowna
She has always been kind, gentle and patient with me, especially during my teenage years. She taught me a lot over the years and still does.
My mom is 86 years old and she has Alzheimer’s. She teaches me to take one day at a time and be grateful for every moment; the good ones and the not so good ones because it’s probably during the “bad” moments that I learn the most and also they make the good moments feel sweeter.
The word “Alzheimer’s” is not really part of mom’s vocabulary because she doesn’t know it is part of her world. But because of where she is right now, she teaches me to be patient, to be compassionate and to love.
For years I had seen signs of the disease and hoped that it was only because she was ‘getting old’. In January 2010 she contracted a virus that took away the hearing in her left ear and from then on the signs became more and more frequent. By the fall she was diagnosed.
I didn’t know much about Alzheimer’s. This is when the Interior Health Authority put me in contact with the Alzheimer Society of B.C.
I attended one workshop on dementia and it opened a window to the world my mother was in. I connected with First Link® and it gave me someone to reach out to. I am so grateful for the kind, listening ear and advice over the phone.
This spring, I attended a five-week workshop on various aspects of Alzheimer’s and related dementias. The information was tremendously valuable from understanding behaviour, communication skills, and legal/financial affairs. But do you know what I’ll never forget? It’s the knowledge and special feeling that mom and I are not alone in this. To be able to meet and talk with other caregivers who are going through the same challenges was very comforting. I might never see most of these people again, but through the Alzheimer Society we were able to connect and share, even for a brief moment.
There, I found out about the program Minds in Motion™ and now mom and I go out once a week for a fun fitness class and social time.
It is not an easy time. It is an exhausting time, but this is the time I have with my mom right now and I am grateful. It is not the way I envisioned these last years but with the help of the Alzheimer Society of B.C., the support of various groups, amazing friends and my family, we will see it through.
Hélène Letnick, Kelowna
2010/11 Annual Report
Personal Stories from the Journey
Join the Wave of Change
About the Alzheimer Society of B.C.
- Message from Board Chair and CEO
- Message from the Treasurer
- Auditor’s Report
- In The Vancouver Sun (appearing in Sept. 22 print edition)
Personal Stories from the Journey
- Hélène is learning to be on the journey one day at a time
- Jim is advocating to improve dementia care through “teachable moments”
- Terri and the rewarding decision to be by her father-in-law’s side on the dementia journey
- Michael, a world-renowned researcher from UBC believes that hope for a world without dementia lies in Canadian research
Join the Wave of Change
About the Alzheimer Society of B.C.
