Timmins-
Kindness means the world to someone with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, according to Timmins caregiver Claude Martel.
His wife, Shirley, is in long-term care with dementia and he said the kind gestures of his friends and family helped brighten his day.
“They had a group of women who met all the time, they went out for supper,” Martel said of one of his wife’s favorite things to do.
“Then they kept doing it, all the same, and she loved it.”
The Alzheimer Society says small acts like this can bring joy to anyone, which is why it hopes people will spread kindness in their communities during the month of January during its fundraising campaign. “Quest for Kindness”.
The campaign is about doing at least one act of kindness to someone every day for 30 days, said the organization’s Timmins-Porcupine branch executive director, Tracy Koskamp-Bergeron.
“Everyone needs kindness, especially now more than ever,” Koskamp-Bergeron said.
“We’ve all been isolated at home, which is something people with dementia suffer from on a regular basis.”
An act of kindness can be anything from shoveling a neighbor’s driveway, buying someone a cup of coffee, or even giving someone a compliment, she said.
Participants register every kind act they perform on the campaign website – between January 1 and January 29 – while encouraging friends and family to sponsor the trip.
Money raised helps fund Alzheimer Society programs that serve people with dentists and their caregivers, such as dementia education, counseling and social recreation.
