Rotarians will hold a candlelight vigil to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s disease at 5:30 p.m. Monday at the Noel Lloyd Positive Action Movement Park.
“The whole goal is to bring awareness to the community and at the same time impact and change stigma in terms of how people think and see people who have Alzheimer’s and other dementias and how they are treated,” said Edna Williams, who heads the VI Rotarians’ Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Campaign.
The Monday event, she added, will feature a video presentation and speeches about the illness.
“I think the awareness still needs to be out there,” the Rotarian explained. “I think traditionally it has always been that sort of illness that is kept within the family and it is not shared with people, so people don’t know what the symptoms are.”
Alzheimer’s may not matter much to people who aren’t directly affected by it, said Ryan Geluk, the president of the Rotary Club of Road Town.
“People hear statistics and numbers all the time, but it doesn’t mean very much until it becomes personal or they hear personal stories about it,” said Mr. Geluk, whose aunt was diagnosed with the illness.
See the Sept. 17, 2015 edition for full coverage.
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