About the Memory Walk
The nation's largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer care and support is held annually in hundreds of communities across the country. The event calls on volunteers of all ages to become champions in the fight against Alzheimer's.
The Green County Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk is less than two miles. Participants may choose to walk as much or as little as they want.
Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. Sept. 6 at the Behring Senior Center of Monroe, 1113 10th St., Monroe. Welcome and walk starts at 8:30 a.m. Pre-registration is 2:30-5:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5. For more information or to register, go to www.alz.org/scwisc or contact Deanna Truedson at 232-3402 or Miriam Boegel at (800) 272-3900.
For sharing, caring and learning, a "Caregiver Coffee Klatch" meets from 1-2:30 p.m. the first Friday of every month at The Monroe Room in Monroe Clinic. Contact the Alzheimer's Association for more information at (800) 272-3900.
Truedson, an outreach coordinator, is available at the Green County Aging and Disability Resource Center on the first and third Fridays of each month. She can be reached at (800) 323-3400.
"She had a schedule of washing clothes on Monday and ironing on Tuesday since ... forever," daughter Shelley Muranyi said.
For several year before she was diagnosed, Mildred's family barely noticed small warning signs. Laundry was left in the washing machine. Small burn marks appeared on the freshly ironed shirts.
As a long-time resident of Monroe, Muranyi was asked to be the honorary family chair for the Alzheimer's Association 2008 Green County Memory Walk Sept. 6.
Muranyi said Corporate Chair David Babler talked to her about "getting on board."
"David's mother and my mother played bridge together for a number of years," she said.
Miriam Boegel, director of development for the South Central Wisconsin Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, hopes Muranyi's identity and long-time residency in Monroe will have an effect on others.
"When people step forward, other people do it too," Muranyi said. "People think, maybe it's something we should do, too."
Muranyi also accepted the position because of her father, Forrest Kubly, of the Swiss Colony Kublys.
"There's a stigma that we definitely want to get away from. Alzheimer's is not a mental illness; it's a disease, and there is help," Muranyi said. "You should never be ashamed or embarrassed to get help, especially with the medical help that's out there."
Often, a patient and the spouse will be in denial, but there are small "quiet" indicators, such as avoiding or having trouble with regular activities, Boegel said. The odds of having Alzheimer's begins to increase after age 65.
Research on Alzheimer's has made remarkable strides.
"There are more drugs now than when Mom was first diagnosed," Muranyi said.
The family talked about drugs available in Europe, but Muranyi said she didn't want to try drugs that were not approved in the U.S.
"The drugs we have now work best in the early stages, which is why we suggest people seek medical help as soon as possible," Boegel said. "If it does happen to be Alzheimer's, they have quite a bit of time to express their wishes to the family, and then they can move along. People have three to 15 years after being diagnosed to live with Alzheimer's."
But many families wait for a crisis before contacting the Alzheimer's Association. For those cases, the association has a 24/7 help line at (800) 272-3900.
"It's a lengthy disease that decreases brain function," and brings challenges to the family, Muranyi said.
The Kublys now have a caretaker for Mildred. But bringing in specialized caretakers changes the home's schedule, and Alzheimer's patients are suspicious of strangers. It is difficult on them to be asked questions they can't answer, Muranyi said.
So, while her father, now age 92, is the main caretaker, Muranyi helped for a couple years with laundry and house cleaning.
"And taking Mom under my wing, so he can go to work and do his thing," she said.
Forrest Kubly continued to work at Swiss Colony, golfed and became the main chef at home.
"Mom gave up her cooking responsibilities in the last five years," Muranyi said, but she tries to get her mother out of the house to continue other activities she has enjoyed doing.
Through it all, Muranyi is learning to live in the moment with her mother. After all, she's one in a million.