For a Good Cause -- Mary Allen

-- Story by Paul Clinton, photo by [TK]

People are always surprised when they find out that Mary Allen has

never had a relative who has suffered from Alzheimer’s disease.

It’s news, especially when she tells them how much time she spends

working on the cause.

In addition to founding a number of Alzheimer’s disease support groups

in the 1980s, Allen gives three hours a week -- from 9 a.m. to noon

Tuesdays -- to answer calls at a 24-hour help line.

The Orange County chapter of the Alzheimer’s Assn. provides the line,

which can be reached by calling (800) 660-1993, for family members

struggling with the sometimes bewildering aspects of the insidious

dementia that usually strikes people after their 65th birthday.

“I really like working with older people,” Allen said. Volunteering

“was always a part of our family growing up. I hope that’s something I’m

passing on to my own family.”

Allen, who lives in Newport Beach, says her volunteering with seniors

is an outgrowth of her career as a caregiver.

Before retiring, the 57-year-old Allen worked as a manager at the

Oasis Senior Center in Corona del Mar. She had also started her own

senior care business with a friend.

Allen found a cause in Alzheimer’s -- a disease in which a person

gradually loses his or her memory and other mental functions. She had

seen many friends struggle with learning to cope with the disease when it

afflicted an older parent.

“It’s a horrible disease,” Allen said. “The true victims of it are the

family members. It’s the family members who pay the price.”

Allen got involved with the Orange County chapter in 1989. At that

time, she started a support group for adults who were grappling with the

ordeal of having a parent diagnosed with the disease. Only groups for

spouses had existed up until that time, she said.

“Their concerns would be different than a spouse’s concerns,” Allen

said.

In addition to her work with Alzheimer’s, Allen volunteers at the

Adult Day Care in Huntington Beach, where she serves on the board of

directors.

She said she is eager to view the two current movies that tackle the

topic of Alzheimer’s -- “Iris” and “A Song for Martin.”