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Region IX Alzheimer's Report at Washington Federation Convention, May 20, 2008
My History: I am Gen Boguslawski, born and raised on a farm in eastern Montana. My hometown of Fairview is half in
Montana and half in North Dakota. I joined the US Air Force right out of high school - finally completing my degree in Business
Administration from Boise State University as an adult in 1979. I have been retired from the Department of Defense (also
worked for Department of Interior for several years) and also from the Alaska Army National Guard for 10 years. I retired
as a Supervisory Contracting Officer.
I joined NARFE at a Retirement Seminar at the National Guard Armory in Anchorage. I became active in NARFE after we
moved to Meridian in 2000. My Mom was placed in a Nursing Home with Alzheimer's in the spring of 2001 and passed away October,
2002. About that time, I became the Chapter Alzheimer's Chairman, then Idaho Federation Alzheimer's Coordinator in the fall
of 2004, and then Region IX Alzheimer's Coordinator in January 2008.
After watching my Dad as Mom's caregiver for several years before she went to the Home, I am very aware of the hardship
for caregivers. Dad slipped into dementia after Mom went to the Home, and he passed away April, 2004, 18 months after Mom.
Besides NARFE activities, I am also active in several military organizations. I try to volunteer as docent at the Idaho
Historical Military Society Museum at Gowen Field. My family consists of my husband Frank (Bogy), 5 children between us,
18 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.
Region IX has done real well in donations to Alzheimer's Research. As of 31 March, Alaska has donated $722.98; Idaho,
$1297; Montana, $1772; Oregon, $8144.14 and Washington, $55,981; for a total of $67,918 for Region IX. NARFE has given a
total of $7,386,267.70, or an increase of $33,396 over February.
I am always looking for new ideas for making money for Alzheimer's. This is a short list of ideas:
1) "Pass-the-Hat" at each meeting to collect what you can.
2) "No-Bake-Sale" at one or more meetings
3) Raffles for different items
4) "Cake-Walk" with variations to make it work for different ages
5) "Split the Pot" where tickets are sold, and the ticket winner receives 1/3, Alzheimer's receives 1/3, and
the Chapter receives 1/3.
6) Give memorials to Alzheimer's in memory of those we loved. Barb Pretzer reminds us that we can also make donations
in honor of birthdays, anniversaries, etc.
This article in May 2008 AARP Bulletin was very interesting. Scientists are shedding light - literally - on a new way
to detect Alzheimer' disease. They have found that near-infrared light, which can't be seen by the human eye, can pass easily
and harmlessly through the skull and brain to pinpoint the plaques and tangles that are signs of Alzheimer's. The method,
now being tested in clinical trials, would be a major advance in detecting the disease earlier, when the chances of slowing
its progress are better. The research, conducted by Eugene Hanion of the US Department of Veterans Affairs, who led a team
from Harvard Medical School and Boston University, was reported in Optics Letters, March 15. Roberta Tared reported it in
the AARP Bulletin.
G. E. Boguslawski
NARFE Region IX Alzheimer's Coordinator
PO Box 1285
Merician, ID 83680-1285
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