Residents at The Stayton at Museum Way, a retirement community, are using appetizers, entrees and desserts to help raise funds for the North Central Texas Chapter of The Alzheimer’s Association’s October Walk to End Alzheimer’s®. “The Stayton Cooks to End Alzheimer’s” cookbook – which includes recipes submitted by residents – will sell for $40 with half of the proceeds being donated to the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, which takes place at Panther Island Pavilion in Fort Worth on October 22. Residents and staff encourage the public to purchase a copy of the cookbook. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, every 66 seconds someone in the United States develops Alzheimer’s, and it is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Currently, more than 350,000 Texans are living with Alzheimer’s, and that number is expected to grow to 490,000 by 2025.
“This is our fourth year to participate in the local community’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s®. It is a cause that is near and dear to our hearts, and we are honored to do our part to help raise awareness about Alzheimer’s and dementia,” said Scott Polzin, executive director of The Stayton at Museum Way.
As a life care community, The Stayton not only has resort-style independent living residences, but also multiple levels of living including memory support and assisted living. For Stayton resident Julie Zobal, whose husband Arthur was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2009, the cookbook fundraiser is her way to help contribute to research that will hopefully one day find a cure.
“Arthur and I will have been married for 59 years in November, and he has been in the memory support since April 2015,” said Zobal. “The tragedy of Alzheimer’s is that he is no longer able to paint, which was truly his passion. In addition, he practiced patent law for many years. I feel so strongly about helping the cause of Alzheimer’s but I can’t participate in the walk, so contributing my recipes to the cookbook makes me feel like I’m helping in some small way.”
Zobal has several of her recipes featured in the cookbook, including gazpacho soup, cold cantaloupe soup, chicken and rice casserole and a flaming ice cream dessert.
“It is truly moving to see residents, like Mrs. Zobal, working tirelessly to raise awareness and funds to help find a cure for Alzheimer’s,” said Polzin. “She is selflessly contributing to the cause with the knowledge that her husband Arthur may not personally benefit from the research currently underway or have the opportunity to be cured. She is committed to making a difference for those who will experience similar circumstances as hers in the future.”
