Local Alzheimer’s Advocate Highlights Urgent Needs, New Hope for Caregivers

HUTCHINSON, KS — Denise Vann, Program Director for the Alzheimer’s Association’s Central & Western Kansas Chapter, brought facts, stories, and hope to the Community Collaboration Series talk. She came to do more than recite statistics. She was there to connect — to bring Alzheimer’s into the community’s awareness. 

Her Chapter covers an enormous territory — 69 counties stretching from the Colorado and Nebraska borders to far eastern Kansas. Yet, the staff is only seven strong, a fact that makes volunteers not just helpful, but vital. “We can’t be everywhere,” Vann told the group, “But with community members stepping up, we can reach more people who need us.” Partnerships with Departments on Aging and Area Agencies on Aging help extend their reach, but she admitted many people still don’t know the Association is there for them. 

The numbers are sobering. 
More than 50,000 Kansans are living with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia, supported by 90,000 caregivers who together provide 127 million hours of unpaid care — worth an estimated $2.4 billion. Nationally, the disease is accelerating and by 2050, someone in the United States will be diagnosed every 33 seconds. 

Vann explained that dementia is an umbrella term, with Alzheimer’s as the most common type. Others include mixed dementia, frontal temporal dementia, Lewy body dementia, and vascular dementia. While age is the primary risk factor, early-onset cases — in people as young as their 30s and 40s — are becoming more recognized, though they make up a small percentage. Researchers are exploring everything from genetics to lifestyle to gut health in the search for causes and cures. 

Much of Vann’s talk revolved around the “10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s,” which range from memory loss and confusion with time or place to difficulty completing familiar tasks and noticeable changes in mood. But she emphasized that these signs are not just symptoms; they are moments in which families face hard choices about how to respond. 

Her advice for families: “Go to their reality — don’t try to drag them into yours.” 

Caregivers, she acknowledged, often shoulder the heaviest burden. The stress can be so severe that some die before the loved one they care for. Kansas now offers a $1,000 annual respite grant for families living with and caring for someone diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia. Vann personally meets with families for care consultations, tailoring advice and resources to each situation. 

Yet for all the challenges, she brought a note of optimism. New medications, she said, can slow or even partially reverse early-stage Alzheimer’s. Blood tests for early detection are on the horizon, and Medicare now covers certain treatments for those diagnosed early enough to benefit. 

We are seeing real progress. 

Prevention, too, plays a role. Vann repeated a simple mantra: What’s good for your heart is good for your brain. She encouraged adopting a Mediterranean-style diet, staying socially engaged, exercising regularly, and keeping the mind active through new challenges — even something as small as switching the hand you write with. 

The Alzheimer’s Association’s presence in the community is about more than treatment or prevention. It’s about connection. The chapter supports more than 21 support groups across its region, offers both in-person and online education, and maintains a 24/7 helpline in over 200 languages. Events like the annual Dementia Conference, the Memory Gala, The Longest Day, and the Walk to End Alzheimer’s in Hutchinson bring people together, raise funds, and remind families they are not alone.

Dannielle Stiffler, Sales Representative at Legend of Hutchinson Assisted Living and Memory Care Center, spoke about her years of participating in the local Walk to End Alzheimer's that will be on September 27th at the Kansas State Fairgrounds. 

Cara Conaway, Information and Outreach Program Coordinator at the Reno County Department of Aging, shared practical tools for daily living that she has used when caring for people with dementia: 
• RAZ Memory Cellphone – photo-button dialing 
• Automated medication dispensers with voice reminders 
• Environmental adjustments such as security cameras to ensure people are safe in their homes
• Music therapy to connect even when speech fades

For more information about Alzheimer's and support for caregivers, or to volunteer, go to the Central and Western Kansas Chapter | Alzheimer’s Association website. You can contact Denise Vann at 316-267-7333 or [email protected]

To see a local resource guide or to have your questions answered, go to the Reno County Department of Aging site and contact Cara Conaway at 620-694-2911 or email at [email protected].

Our next Community Collaboration Series speaker is Kimberly Mies, giving a KanCare-Medicaid General Overview who will be presenting at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, September 26th, at the Reno County Department of Aging, 120 West Ave. B, Hutchinson. To reserve your spot to this free event, contact Cara Conaway at 620-694-2911 or email at [email protected].