Print
Email
NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK - Victoria volunteer believes change begins with education
While caring for her mother one day, Pat had an “aha” moment. She realized “I can’t fix this”. Her mother and several aunts had Alzheimer’s disease. Then came acceptance with less guilt and angst. Another moment of clarity came a few years ago, when she realized the best way to deal with her own fears of dementia was to educate herself.
“Educating myself helped to allay some of those fears and also aided in discussions with my own family,” said Pat, a retired pediatric rehab physiotherapist.
She began volunteering with the Alzheimer Society of B.C. resource centre in Victoria two years ago with a goal of helping to educate others and change public perceptions and stigma around dementia.
“We all need to change our attitudes toward dementia and face this disease with education, compassion, and openness,” she explained. “With that change, I believe preventative health measures and early diagnosis will improve and people with dementia will be treated with less fear and more dignity.”
Aside from continuing to stretch and exercise her own brain, Pat has found that volunteering has given her even more than she imagined. Volunteering has given her a purpose that she felt she needed after retiring from her career and to be grateful for what she has.
“I am continually in awe and respect of the many people that I meet who are facing the disease with courage and determination,” said Pat. “Seeing others get support, information, and comfort for the future they face gives me a sense of knowing that they will be better equipped than my family and they will know how and when to reach out for help.”
The Society provides free education and training for volunteer facilitators of its support groups, an integral part of the service it delivers to families in communities across British Columbia.
There are a variety of volunteer opportunities at the Society, including helping to coordinate and deliver key programs such as First Link®, to taking a leadership role in a local community for events such as the Investors Group Walk for Memories, or helping the Provincial Office staff to support the Society’s province-wide network.
If you have time and energy to contribute and would like to know more about volunteering with us, review current volunteer job postings or contact Jo-Anne Teal, HR and Volunteer Administrator at 604-742-4924 in Vancouver or 1-800-667-3742 elsewhere in B.C.
