Posted by Sudbury Northern Life 
Ginka Delparte is a big fan of the Alzheimer Day Centre in
Sudbury. Her life is busy. By day, she is the office
administrator at Bishop Alexander Carter Catholic Secondary
School in Hanmer. By early evening, she's into yet another of
her many roles - that of caregiver to her father. He has
dementia. Ginka shares her caregiving role with her sister and
her mother. It takes the concentrated efforts of three women to
help Benny Kunat cope.
"If it wasn't for the Alzheimer Day Centre, I don't know what
we'd do," says Ginka. "Dad goes there five days a week. He
loves meeting his buddies there."
Ginka says her dad thinks of going to the day centre, as "going
to work." She says the daily routine, and the friendship and
fun he has at the centre helps him to maintain his positive
attitude.
Benny Kunat has always been an outgoing person. Eighty one
years ago he was born in Poland. He immigrated to Canada as a
young man. He worked 30 years at Inco, many of them
underground. His daughter says he's always had a positive
attitude towards life. His family and his community were his
priorities. He served for many years on various union
negotiating teams. He and his wife had an active social life.
He loved the outdoors, and was an avid gardener
But his life changed drastically three years ago. He had a
stroke. It caused vascular dementia. That can happen when blood
flow to the brain is interrupted. Benny suffered permanent
brain damage. He couldn't speak or write after the stroke. He's
come a long way since then, but he can no longer cope on his
own. He no longer has short term memory. He can get confused
easily. In addition to his compromised heart, he is diabetic,
and also has to deal with arthritis. He has personal care
issues that require someone help him with toileting at least
once a night.
So, Ginka says, the Alzheimer Day Centre is a "life-saver" for
her family. Her dad arrives at the centre (behind Pioneer Manor
on Notre Dame Avenue) around 8:30 or 9 a.m. He takes part in
all sorts of physical and mental activities designed to help
him maintain the  physical mobility and mental abilities
he has. He loves the hot home-made meal at noon, and often
helps in the kitchen. And, Ginka says, he gets a kick out of
some of the craft projects.
"Because Dad goes to the Alzheimer day centre, my mother, who's
79, gets a break during the day. That's important to her,
because she's often up throughout the night to help Dad. While
he's at the centre, she can catch a few winks, do the groceries
and all the other million and one things required in running a
house," she says. And, she points out, she and her sister are
able to hold down their full time jobs, and cope with their own
families, only because they know their dad is comfortable, safe
and happy at the day centre.
So, it's not only Benny who benefits from the day centre. It
also gives his wife and two daughters a solid system of support
to help them cope with caring for him. The staff, volunteers
and donors, who keep the Sociéte Alzheimer Society of Sudbury
Manitoulin running, enrich the lives of thousands in our
community.
People's volunteer hours or financial contributions go a long
way to making sure that everyone who needs the society's help
will get it. Donations can be directed towards several
different areas, including additional family counselling, or
in-home respite services.
Donations toward the transportation budget, helps defray
transportation costs for people like Benny, who need to travel
to and from the day centre. In the Sudbury Manitoulin area,
there are about 2,600 people coping with Alzheimer's or a
related dementia.
For more information on how you can help, phone the centre at
560-0603, or check our web site at
www.alzheimersudbury.ca
.
Patricia Montpetit is the executive director of the Société Alzheimer Society Sudbury-Manitoulin and a member of the Community Support Service Network of Sudbury-Manitoulin - a group of 15 local organizations and agencies servicing the Sudbury region. CSS Network members are community based, not-for-profit organizations that help local residents live at home and thrive in their community.  For more information visit:www.cssnetsudbury.ca.
