2011-12 has seen the establishment of a special relationship between the Rotary Club of Tuscaloosa and Caring Days, an adult day care center for patients with dementia and memory disorders. Caring Days been the focus of a $100,000 fundraising campaign by the Tuscaloosa Rotary Memorial Foundation, and Vicki Kerr, Executive Director fo Caring Days, was the 2011 winner of the Rotary Rose award. This week, Rotarians will hear from Vicki on recent developments at Caring Days, and on how Tuscaloosa Rotary has helped start the building of the new Mal and Charlotte Moore Center there.

Alzheimer’s alone, which is only one of a wide range of memory disorders, is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United Sates overall, and fifth among those 65 or older. And nearly 15 million Alzheimer’s and dementia caregivers in the United States provide 17 billion hours of unpaid care, valued at an incredible $202 billion. The new center will give Caring Days a state-of-the-art facility for fulfilling its mission—caring for patients with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and a variety of tumor-, alcohol- and trauma-related conditions, and helping family members and loved ones cope with the stress, anxiety and other burdens of care giving.

Vicki has been called the “heart and soul” of her program, and she has used her experience to fuel her passion for its mission. For more information on her work and Caring Days, visit www.caringdays.org.