Civil servants dressed down last Friday, 20 September 2013, to raise funds for people with special needs. Twelve hundred dollars that came from tee-shirt sales and personal donations will benefit the local Alzheimer’s and Dementia Association (ADACI).

The Governor Helen Kilpatrick led civil service participants on the steps of the Government Administration Building (GAB), where Deputy Governor Franz Manderson handed the cheque to Chairperson Dorothy Davis – ADACI’s founder.

A similar event occurred at the District Administration Building on Cayman Brac, where staff made a separate donation.

Civil service HR Auditor Karen Christian coordinated the fundraising drive on Grand Cayman.  She said her fellow public officers responded well to this cause.

“We try to help out, as far as possible, with any initiative which benefits the wider community,” said Ms. Christian.  “This was a natural decision, as these illnesses affect so many people in the Cayman Islands – and worldwide.”

Saturday, 21 September was World Alzheimer’s Day, and the ADA hosted a special dinner for caregivers. A movie on Alzheimer’s titled “The Forgetting” was aired on CIGTV (Weststar channel 20) at 8.00 p.m.

On Wednesday, 25 September ADACI will screen “The Forgetting” at the Cayman Islands Hospital’s Hibiscus Room at 5:30 p.m.  The month-long observance wraps up on Saturday, 28 September with a 5-K Memory Run/Walk.

Events earlier in September included a three-day training programme for medical and emergency-response professionals and care-givers; a church service; and presentations at all district clinics.  The service also hosted a “lunch-and-learn” session, where government staff learnt more about Alzheimer’s. The presenter was Government officer Philip Scott, who is a Director and Treasurer with ADACI.