NORTH RIDGEVILLE, Ohio — Fundraising efforts for non-profits are picking back up, now that in-person events have resumed, including the Alzheimer’s Association’s largest fundraiser in Ohio, the Walk to End Alzheimer’s. 

The money raised goes toward research, and is also used to provide care and support to local families dealing with the disease. 

Paul Stefunek knows all too well how draining it can be to care for a loved one with Alzheimer’s. He watched his mother take care of his father for 10 years. 

“Big family man, loved his grandchildren extensively,” he said. “And my mother stayed by his side until the very end.”

Stefunek’s dad, John, died in November at 87 years old. The Navy and National Guard veteran passed away in South Carolina amid the pandemic. 

“It was brutal,” he said. “The only upside is I wasn’t living every day with him, my mom was. It was harder on her than anybody else.”

That’s why Stefunek is lacing up and preparing to participate in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s.

“It’s unfortunate that it took to this level of time for me to get involved, but normally most people don’t until it touches them,” he said. 

These footsteps are meant to help bring awareness. 

“I think everyone needs to know about the extent of the disease and the impact it’ll have,” said Stefunek. “And the support [the Alzheimer’s Association] can provide. With everyone’s assistance, though.”

Right now, more than 6 million Americans are living with the disease.

“It picks up pace,” he said. “It went slow initially, and then you could see a gradual progression and then it just — it never gets better.”

Watching that deterioration of a loved one can be devastating. 

“Here’s a man who doesn’t forget any date, any detail, and he got lost in his own development,” Stefunek said, 

For caregivers like Stefunek’s mom, Millie, the process is that much more difficult. 

“It is 24/7, I don’t care what anybody else says,” he said. “You don’t sleep well ‘cause they could wake up and walk out of the house. You just don’t know what they’re doing.”

The isolation brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic took an extra toll. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, deaths from the disease and other dementias have increased more than 16% during the pandemic. In Ohio, more than 1,800 people died last year, exceeding estimates. 

“If you don’t know Alzheimer’s/dementia, it makes it hard for you to have change,” Stefunek said. “So, him getting out of the house, it’s hard for him to understand what’s going on. And at the same time, the consistency of being at home is great, but it’s going to keep you secluded from others and it’s developing.”

So, Stefunek walks on, taking steps toward keeping his father’s memory alive.

“If I don’t get active and let people know about it, it’s going to affect that many more lives around us,” he said. 

There are more than 30 Walk to End Alzheimer’s events scheduled across Ohio this fall.