To those involved in the Alzheimer's community -- patients, caregivers and advocates -- Sam Sellers and Alzheimer's Arkansas might be considered a match made in heaven.
Sellers is a certified Alzheimer's educator and home-care agency owner. The president of Home Helpers, former AARP representative and decorated U.S. Army Reserve combat veteran is also the author of Finding Freedom at Home: The Ultimate Guide to Home Care.
"If you had told me ... 40 years ago that I would eventually be working with senior adults and particularly those living with Alzheimer's, I would have said, 'You're crazy, I don't know anything about that, I don't care about that,'" Sellers says. "Through my work at AARP, I developed a passion for senior adults."
Sellers, 49, is now board president for Alzheimer's Arkansas and will be one of three people honored at the organization's fifth annual Champions Gala!, to be held Thursday at the Little Rock Marriott. The fundraising event is designed to show some love for Arkansas caregivers who tend to those with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. Also to be honored are Patricia Rose Carlton (whose name has inspired a rose motif to run throughout the program) and Michelle Byler. The event will include a VIP reception, silent and live auctions, entertainment by the Glen Campbell Family Quartet and a special reading by former caregiver Karen Hayes.
"It's really a time for us to gather together ... and celebrate the work we've done for the past year and, more importantly, celebrate the champions on behalf of the organization," Sellers says. Those champions are the caregivers, and money raised at the event go to support them in their work with patients, who are often family members.
According to the Alzheimer's Arkansas website, Alzheimer's disease affects as many as 5 million Americans, including more than 275,000 Arkansans. The organization's mission is to support the caregivers.
Alzheimer's Arkansas is not to be confused with Alzheimer's Association. One difference between the two organizations is that all funds taken in by Alzheimer's Arkansas stay in the state. The Alzheimer's Association also raises money for research, enhanced care for those affected and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health.
SERVING WITH JOY
Sellers became involved with Alzheimer's Arkansas about a decade ago through its late executive director, Phyllis Watkins, while he was at AARP. At Watkins' urging, Sellers became a support group facilitator for family members who had a loved one with Alzheimer's. He went through the training, he says, "and really, just thoroughly enjoyed it."
Watkins died of breast cancer on July 14, 2014. Elise Siegler, the current executive director for Alzheimer's Arkansas, invited Sellers to be on the board, which he joined in 2015. "I apparently wasn't there the night they chose the chairman of the board. I drew the short stick," he jokes.
Sellers may be modest about his role with the organization, but Siegler describes him as having the "biggest heart in the world."
"I came on board 3 1/2 years ago, and from day one Sam welcomed me," she says. He's the first to step up and sponsor an event, has chaired a number of functions, is always present to greet and chat with guests and has traveled statewide with the agency during its Hope for the Future workshops, she adds. "He has done an outstanding job moving us forward" -- especially in growing the number of those workshops. "He has just been tremendously supportive, both timewise and financially, to make that happen."
Indeed, Sellers waxes passionate about the organization. One of its objectives, he says, is to give people a respite from the 24/7 care they give patients. "They can turn it off for an afternoon or a couple days, or whatever," Sellers says.
Then there are those support groups. "Meeting with people that are traveling the same road, dealing with the same issues. ... That can be very powerful. And we support caregivers through that."
The third objective is education. Alzheimer's Arkansas hosts a dozen free caregiver symposiums throughout the state. During these daylong events, participants are "getting tips, they're getting techniques, they're getting where-the-rubber-meets-the-road advice and information," Sellers adds.
MEETING THE NEED
Sellers refers to a book titled The 36-Hour Day: A Family' Guide to Caring for People Who Have Alzheimer Disease, Related Dementias, and Memory Loss. Originally published in 1981, the book's sixth edition is due out April 23.
"Caregivers often think of themselves as living in a 36-hour day. There's not enough time, there's not enough patience," Sellers says. "So that's the greatest joy -- seeing when they discover, 'Wow, you guys will give me that support, give me that assistance.'"
The Champions Gala! is one of the agency's key fundraising events for the year. Organizers have already raised some $20,000. "That's immediately going to be turned around into the communities to support folks who have a spouse or loved one with Alzheimer's. So we're super excited about the event."
Of all his board commitments and activities, says Sellers -- a married father of two sons -- "this is far and away ... one of the most rewarding experiences in my life."
He invites others to get involved.
"Until a cure comes, let's help the folks who are walking this walk."
Tickets to The Champions Gala! are $100; $150 for admission to the gala and a VIP event preceding it. For more information, call (501) 224-0021 or visit alzark.org.
High Profile on 03/19/2017