BY STACEY WALLACE
FOR THE OBSERVER
LEE COUNTY —According to the Alzheimer’s Association, “Alzheimer’s is a progressive brain disease and the most common form of dementia, accounting for 60-80% of all cases.” Other statistics about the disease include: “1. Over seven million Americans live with Alzheimer’s, a number projected to reach nearly 13 million by 2050; 2. About one in nine people over 65 have Alzheimer’s; 3. Almost two-thirds of Americans with Alzheimer’s are women; 4. Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States for all ages; 5. Older Black Americans are about twice as likely to have Alzheimer’s or other dementias as older white Americans; 6. Older Hispanics are about one and one-half times as likely to have Alzheimer’s or other dementias as older white Americans.”
In addition, the cost of providing care for dementia patients is extremely high both financially and physically. For example, “Nearly 12 million Americans provided unpaid care for people with Alzheimer’s or other dementias,” reads the Alzheimer’s Association website. “In 2024, unpaid caregivers provided an estimated more than 19 billion hours of care valued at more than $413 billion.”
Auburn resident, Sherwood Thomas, is now the primary caregiver for his wife Betty.
As Sherwood speaks of his love for Betty, his voice breaks. Sherwood said that he and Betty met and fell in love while they were pharmacy students in Auburn. They graduated in 1967 and were married in 1968.
Sherwood said that Betty had chemotherapy for colon cancer from May 2017 until January 2018.
“She had ‘chemo brain,’ which is like dementia but usually goes away; hers didn’t,” said Sherwood. “She wasn’t sure where to turn when she was driving, and she had a hard time saying big words.”
According to Sherwood, in 2022, Betty was becoming more forgetful. Once Sherwood told Betty that he was going to an Auburn football game, and Betty was fine with it. At the game, the noise level was so high, Sherman couldn’t hear his cell phone ring. However, at half time, Sherwood saw that Betty had texted him 15 to 20 times. She said, “I’m at Papa’s; come and get me.” (Papa was her grandfather, who was deceased.) She also asked Sherwood, “Where are you?”
Sherwood said, “She had totally forgotten where I was.” Later in 2022, Betty was diagnosed with rapidly progressing dementia.
Sherwood said he really appreciates everyone who helps him because being a caregiver without support and assistance is difficult. Family and friends who help out include his daughter Joy, who lives in Auburn, Betty’s good friend M.C., his son Jay, who lives in Tuscaloosa and Betty’s sister Penny.
“M.C. comes on lots of Fridays so that I can get out of the house and have breakfast with my high school buddies,” Sherwood said.
Sherwood and his male high school buddies also belong to a larger group called Romeo, which stands for Retired Old Men Eating Out. This is a Christian support group, and Sherwood, who had a stroke in April of 2024, said, “We had so many things to happen to us, if it hadn’t been for the Lord, we wouldn’t be here.”
Along with receiving help from family and friends, Amedisys, a home healthcare company in Opelika, provided care for Betty; she worked with a physical therapist twice a week and with a speech and an occupational therapist once or twice a week. Also, a registered nurse or a licensed practical nurse checked on her every one to two weeks.
Later, Gentiva Hospice sent a nurse at least two times a week, and someone comes to help Betty bathe and washes her hair; in addition, a social worker usually visits monthly and a chaplin is on call. Both Amedisys Home Health and Gentiva Hospice are paid with Medicare and private insurance.
Sherwood has also hired HomeRN, a business run by two registered nurses. Auburn students who may be studying to be in the medical field come several times a week to feed Betty, give her frozen milkshakes and change her sheets.
“For me, the most difficult part is realizing that the person I’ve loved for most of my life is no longer that person,” Sherwood said.
Last year, Sherwood participated in the East Alabama Walk to End Alzheimer’s in Auburn and raised the most money as a single participant.
“One of the main reasons I’m doing the Walk is for my children and grandchildren so that they won’t have to go through what dementia patients are going through now,” Sherwood said.
Sherwood will be out of town for this year’s Walk, so his daughter Joy will be walking for him in honor of her mother.
This year’s East Alabama Walk to End Alzheimer’s will be on Sunday, Oct. 26, at Auburn University on the Campus Green at 500 Heisman Drive.
According to Cailyn Thompson Miller, the East Alabama Walk to End Alzheimer’s Manager, this Walk started in 2014. Cailyn is also the Walk Manager for the Mobile Bay/Baldwin County Walk and the West Alabama Walk.
“My grandmother was diagnosed with early onset dementia when I was in the sixth grade,” Miller said. “I spent a lot of time with her; she was very special to me. I saw the way that dementia affected not just her but our entire family. She passed away in 2021, and I needed to put my grief into action. I had volunteered for the Walk in college, so I jumped at the position for Walk Manager.”
According to Miller, the emcee for the Walk will be Executive Leadership Chair Lynn Mott and Auburn Mayor Ron Anders will be the guest speaker. D.J. Ozz and Aubie will provide the entertainment.
According to Miller, so far 27 teams and 359 participants will be participating in the Walk. Anyone interested in participating in the East Alabama Walk to End Alzheimer’s may register at ALZ.org/auburnwalk. Also, people may register at the Walk itself.
The schedule for the East Alabama Walk to End Alzheimer’s is as follows:
- Registration at 2 p.m.
- Promise Garden Ceremony at 3 p.m.
- The Walk will begin immediately after the Promise Garden Ceremony.
Everyone who walks will receive a pinwheel flower to plant in the Promise Garden Ceremony. Every color represents what connection the person has to Alzheimer’s. Orange flowers are held up by people who have no connection to Alzheimer’s; they just support a world without the disease. Purple flowers are held up by people who have lost someone to the disease. Caregivers hold up yellow flowers. People who have Alzheimer’s hold up blue flowers. Then one person will hold up a white flower which represents the first person to survive Alzheimer’s.
Flowers are then planted and may be taken home after the Walk.
In 2023 and 2024, a glimmer of hope came in the fight to cure Alzheimer’s. The drugs Lecanemab (Leqembi) and Donanemab (Kisunla) were approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treatment in patients with early stage Alzheimer’s. Also, last May, the FDA approved a blood test to be used for diagnosing Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
In addition, the Alzheimer’s Association stresses the importance of eating well, sleeping well, exercising regularly and challenging your mind regularly in order to prevent dementia.
Last year, the East Alabama Walk to End Alzheimer’s teams and participants surpassed the goal of $85,000 and raised $92,000. This year’s goal is $112,000.
To donate to the East Alabama Walk to End Alzheimer’s, you may go online to ALZ.org/auburnwalk or scan the QR code at the bottom of this article.
Join the Alzheimer’s Association and help find a cure for this heartbreaking disease. Continue fighting for the first survivor of Alzheimer’s.
