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Association hosts Memory Walk
By Sean Barron
BOARDMAN
Not long ago, Barry Claycomb went to his job as a machinist and, one accident later, was told not to return.
While operating a crane, he accidentally struck a toolbox with a piece of steel on the crane and tried to catch the box with his hands, which deemed him unsafe to continue working in that capacity.
Two months later, the Austintown man was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
“Our world just dropped from under us for a few months,” Claycomb’s wife, JoAnn, said after having participated in Saturday’s annual Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk in Boardman Township Park.
The Claycombs were among those who took part in the one-mile walk around the park to increase awareness of Alzheimer’s and raise funds to provide support services to the estimated 20,000 residents of Mahoning, Columbiana and Trumbull counties who live with the progressive disease.
Hosting the event was the Alzheimer’s Association Greater East Ohio Area chapter, which serves 17 counties and has an office in Boardman.
The association helps families and caregivers learn more about the disease, gain a better understanding of its challenges and receive emotional support, the chapter’s mission statement says.
Perfect weather greeted the estimated 350 participants of all ages who joined teams or walked individually. Some money raised also will fund needed research, organizers said.
JoAnn Claycomb, whose husband was diagnosed more than a year ago, said that despite a plethora of information on Alzheimer’s, greater awareness and research are still necessary. Too many people “are still in the closet” about it, she continued.
“We need to talk about it; we’re tired of people not understanding us,” she added. “Those who can’t talk, we have to be their voice.”
Barry and JoAnn Claycomb were honored during the event and received an award for their support and advocacy on behalf of those with the disease. They also were part of Barry’s Bunch, one of the teams in the walk.
Also among the nearly 40 members of that team were sisters Trish and Katie Zarlingo, 15 and 16, respectively.
The two Austintown Fitch High School students help to take care of their 74-year-old grandmother, Patricia McCleery, who’s lived with them about five years and suffers from Alzheimer’s.
Their tasks include feeding and cooking for McCleery, ensuring she is safe and orienting her to time and day of the week, Katie noted.
“Sometimes we have to remind her of what day it is,” Trish added.
The sisters also spend time talking to their maternal grandmother and showing her photo albums to keep her memory as sharp as possible, they continued, adding that this was their first time in the event.
Trish and Katie also plan to talk about the disease with friends and join support groups, they said.
Also with the sisters were their parents, David and Cathy Zarlingo.
A goal of the walk was to raise $33,000, most of which will stay in the community, noted Pam Schuellerman, the Eastern Ohio chapter’s executive director.
In addition to numerous support groups, the local chapter has a Reducing Disabilities in Alzheimer’s Disease program in which trained staff visits the homes of people afflicted. They combine range-of- motion and other light exercises with counseling, which reduces stress and behavior problems while fostering better communication, Schuellerman explained, noting that about 70 percent of residents in nursing homes have dementia.
The walk also featured entertainment, a disc jockey, raffles and pumpkin-painting for children.