From staff reports
For longer than 20 years now, Alzheimer’s Family Services of Greater Beaufort (AFSGB) has sold pecans as its major fundraiser every November.
Last year was a record year for the group, which sold out after selling 1,440 bags of fresh, shelled mammoth halves. These pecans are so sought after by those in the community that people start calling in August to ask if they are available yet, the classic answer is “they are still on the tree.”
On Nov. 1, the pecans will be at AFSGB’s office located at 1500 King Street as well as these locations throughout the Beaufort and Port Royal area: Carteret Street United Methodist Church – Office, 408 Carteret Street (Beaufort); Bliss Salon, 910 North Street (Beaufort); Hometown Realty, 82 Sea Island Parkway, Suite D (Lady’s Island); Michaels Salon, Boundary Street, Suite 107 (Beaufort); First Federal Bank, 36 Sea Island Parkway (Lady’s Island); First Federal Bank, 1700 Ribaut Road (Port Royal); and Paulick Law, 917 12th Street (Port Royal).
The proceeds from these pecans help to provide the services that AFSGB offers to area caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s disease in the community. The Early Memory Loss program offers the opportunity for anyone with or without any type of dementia to participate in group trivia and other brain stimulating activities. This also gives the agency the opportunity to monitor participants in the program who do have dementia to watch their progression through their diagnosis and know when it is appropriate for them to join the other programs offered by the agency.
Additionally, AFSGB offers a support group for those individuals in the early stage of a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and a Social Day program which offers socialization and activities appropriate for an Alzheimer’s patient. The In-Home respite program which sends an aide or CNA into the home to care for the patient provides more respite for a caregiver. There are also opportunities for the caregiver to receive valuable support and additional resources by attending the Caregiver Support group.
If group support isn’t what a caregiver prefers, there is individual support available for them. For those individuals who are questioning their own situation, AFSGB offers free, confidential memory screenings provided by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment tests. These screenings, while not a diagnosis, are an indicator of whether further testing by a neurologist is appropriate.
The Purple Haven program helps to educate staff at local businesses on how to interact with a person with Alzheimer’s disease, making it more comfortable for a caregiver to visit local establishments with their family members. Once the training is completed, the locations are provided with a window decal indicating they are a Purple Haven location.
Alzheimer’s Family Services of Greater Beaufort pecans do far more than just make great holiday pies!
