A total of 25 participants will battle it out in a triathlon in Franschhoek on 1 May in an event to raise funds for dementia care.
There are different types of dementia, including Alzheimer’s, Vascular dementia, Lewy Body dementia, Parkinson’s, Frontotemporal, Creutzfeldt-Jakob, Wernicke-Korsakoff, Hydrocephalus, Huntington’s disease and mixed dementia, according to As Botha, CEO of Hospicare. ILLUSTRATION: Lara van Zyl
This was according to Carla Sharpe, the organiser of Sweat for Dementia. Sharpe explained that she started the initiative in November 2020 to raise funds for her mother’s dementia care, but will now donate 30% of the funds raised to DementiaSA, and a further 30% to a local hospice.
“We will road-run through Franschhoek for 20 kilometres, swim 1.6 kilometres in the Berg River Dam, and cycle a 52 kilometre route around the dam,” said Sharpe.
DementiaSA is a non-profit organisation that provides information, education and support around dementia via their website, social media and national helpline, according to Karen Meyer-Borochowitz, the founder and executive director of DementiaSA.
“Funding is extremely important to us. Our funding is put into our projects, and to support our ongoing education, training and support of families and people caring for people living with dementia,” said Meyer-Borochowitz.
For every one person that is diagnosed with dementia, there are five people affected by the disease through the emotional, physical and financial demands involved in dementia care, according to Meyer-Borochowitz.
“It is important to raise awareness so that people know how to identify the symptoms, and know who to contact [for support],” stated Sharpe.
A group of 25 people involved in the Sweat for Dementia triathlon will be cycling, running and swimming on 1 May in Franschhoek. “We all had different sports we were training for, so the triathlon style could include different people,” said Carla Sharpe, organiser of the event. PHOTO: Lara van Zyl
The long-term goal is to make the Sweat for Dementia event an annual fundraiser, and increase the number of people involved each year, according to Sharpe.
The importance of dementia care
Providing care for dementia patients is “non-negotiable”, according to As Botha, CEO of Hospicare, an organisation that offers frail care and assistance for dementia patients.
This is due to the fact that people who suffer from cognitive impairments have specific needs that need to be addressed, said Botha. These needs include:
- A specific diet, as patients’ bodies do not absorb nutrition in the usual way.
- Management of aggression, as patients have the potential to hurt others unintentionally.
- Assistance with daily tasks, as patients’ memories can become impaired to the point that they forget to perform these.
“Dementia is the collective noun for all the various types of cognitive impairment caused by different onset reasons,” explained Botha. The various forms of cognitive impairment all “start off with memory loss and an inability to do daily tasks”, added Botha.
Dementia patients are unable to take care of themselves and need 24-hour care, according to As Botha, the CEO of Hospicare. PHOTO: Canva/Matthias Zomer