Words and Image by Jenny Lynn Davis
During the regular meeting of the Jasper City Council on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, Mayor David O’Mary presented a proclamation officially recognizing June as Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month in Jasper. This declaration highlights the urgent need for awareness and action in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.
The proclamation emphasized that over 6 million Americans, including more than 103,000 Alabamians, are currently living with Alzheimer’s disease. Alarming statistics reveal that someone new is diagnosed every 65 seconds. Alzheimer’s disease ranks as the sixth leading cause of death in the United States and remains one of the few leading causes of death that cannot be cured or prevented.
The Alzheimer’s Association, the largest nonprofit funder of Alzheimer’s and dementia care, support programs, and resources, encourages Jasper businesses and residents to join the fight against this devastating disease. The proclamation urges citizens and business owners to decorate their storefronts and spaces with purple and wear purple to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
Additionally, the proclamation calls on all Jasper citizens to take action now to end Alzheimer’s, learn the facts about the disease, voice their support, and become advocates to advance the mission of the Alzheimer’s Association.
Jeanette Buzbee, a volunteer with the Alabama Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, was on hand to receive the proclamation. Buzbee shared her connection to the cause, stating, “I joined the association to help advance their efforts. My dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2019 and is currently in severe stages, so I see firsthand how it impacts people’s lives. The Alzheimer’s Association is doing great work raising awareness and lobbying in Washington, D.C., to get Medicare to approve coverage of early detection measures, aiming to slow the disease’s progression if detected early enough. Early detection is the closest thing we have to a cure right now.”
Buzbee also highlighted the importance of addressing the stigma surrounding Alzheimer’s, noting that it is increasingly being diagnosed in younger people. She stressed the need to raise awareness and spread resources within local communities to better support those affected by the disease.
In other business, the council:
-Approved an event permit for the Coke Oven/Frisco Day community event on June 29, 2024, at A.P. Howell Park
-Approved a request for permission to send bids for demolition services
-Appointed Wayne Rector to the district two position on the Jasper Housing Authority board
-Appointed Don Kilgore to the district three position on the Jasper Housing Authority board
-Approved the placement of a bronze sculpture and marker regarding a trading post that was once located on Town Creek near the sidewalk at the bridge on 19th Street
-Approved a resolution for nuisance abatement of an unsafe structure at 2300 Gamble Avenue
-Approved a 60-day extension to abate a nuisance for property located at 2100 Delaware Avenue
