The Roanoke family will request additional Alzheimer’s resources from the General Assembly

Roanoke, Virginia – The Alzheimer’s Association of Virginia is celebrating its annual advocacy day on Thursday, and one local family is traveling to Richmond to urge lawmakers to support them.

For two decades, Margie Shaver has been a vocal supporter of financing for Alzheimer’s research. Her husband, daughter, and, for the first time, her grandchild will accompany her to Richmond on Thursday.

For me, it’s everything, especially now that I know my grandson will continue this battle. Shaver, a resident of Roanoke, expressed his hope that one day everyone will wake up and say, “Oh, look, here’s the latest breaking news; we found a cure for Alzheimer’s,” and he and his family will be able to say, “We did that.”

Throughout her life, Margie’s family has been impacted by Alzheimer’s. The illness afflicted her mother, three aunts, and grandmother.

Because it was the 1960s and people were not yet well-informed about Alzheimer’s, there are several lengthy tales, especially concerning my grandmother. According to Margie, “my parents had to do some pretty sad things to help her.” It became evident when my mother became ill and my family had to assist in caring for her, making decisions about her placement, and other matters. There are moments when you truly feel like you have no control.

Margie claimed that in order to help her mother, she started to advocate for the Alzheimer’s Association.

“My daughters are the reason I do it now. I believe there is hope because I do not want my girls to have to do for me what I had to do for my mother. I firmly think that a cure for Alzheimer’s will be discovered during my lifetime,” she remarked.

Margie will be in Richmond on Thursday with her grandson Dylan, who is a senior at Cave Spring High School. He stated that as Alzheimer’s has impacted others in his life as well, he want to help his grandma in her battle against the disease.

Both her family and mine have been affected by this illness. I’ve had neighbors with it, and my grandma had it. It’s just a challenge, Dylan Shaver said, “just being a kid with a neighbor who always came and helped, and now that he has it, we have to help him.”

Dylan expressed his hope that his generation will continue to strive for a cure and recognize the importance of Alzheimer’s.

“We belong to the technological age group and possess all technological knowledge.” To ensure that no one has to worry about Alzheimer’s again, we should be the ones who are able to overcome the obstacle and ultimately get this illness healed and out of the way,” Dylan stated.

The family will lobby the General Assembly for more resources to assist locals who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease after they arrive in Richmond.

When a person is diagnosed with dementia, they frequently say, “Okay, I think you have dementia; come back and see me in a year.” In summary, we are requesting assistance in creating a plan for the upcoming year of your life, including a plan for your family members to assist you in managing that illness. What are they doing? What are they going to do over the next few days? When this conduct occurs, how do they know what to do? Margie said.

According to Margie, there are a few new medications for Alzheimer’s that have showed promise in terms of enhancing the quality of life for those who have the disease. The most important thing, she said, is additional research.

We seem to be on the verge of discovering that necessary item, in my opinion. For someone that age, even if it didn’t cure the disease, if it could postpone its start, and if you’re going to develop Alzheimer’s at age 80 and you have five to ten more years before you do, that’s a lifetime,” she added. “I believe we’re close to discovering something, but we need to continue our research and keep an eye on it.”

The need for additional Alzheimer’s resources in Central and Southwest Virginia will be emphasized to the General Assembly, Shaver said.