Yellowknife (Sep 20/06) - Karen Marshall's mother, 80-year-old Dorothy Carter, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease several years ago.

"She knew that something was wrong," said Marshall, remembering how her mother began to forget words and ;had trouble communicating with others.

"It took a long time for doctors to take it seriously. Forgetting things is seen as just part of getting older," she said.

Now Marshall and her three sisters in town are doing their best to care for their mother, but she admits it's been a difficult time for the whole family.

"It's like watching (my mother) die slowly," said Marshall.

Alzheimer's disease is the deterioration of healthy brain cells and tissue that causes changes in behaviour or how people function, according to the Alzheimer Society of Canada.

It is often associated with memory loss, difficulty communicating, and the inability to live independently without care.

Nine Yellowknife residents are doing their best to raise awareness and funds for those suffering from an illness that affects approximately 280,000 Canadians over 65.

As members of the Yellowknife chapter council of the Alzheimer Society of Alberta and the NWT, they have experience with those suffering from Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia.Jan Stirling, a former public health nurse and a Yellowknife chapter council member, said she often saw how difficult coping with the disease can be.

"There's a tremendous strain on the family," said Stirling.

Fellow chapter council member Barb Bromley added, "It was when Aven Manor stopped accepting patients with dementia about four years ago that we started getting serious."

Aven Manor, an assisted-care facility for seniors, is across the street from the Baker Community Centre, where the council meets.

The group formed in 2002 and has since held a workshop helping people learn how to care for those with Alzheimer's disease.

They are planning a coffee and snack sale on Thursday at the Baker Community Centre from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Information and how to get involved in the council will be available along with tea, coffee, and cinnamon buns. The day will be celebrated by Alzheimer Society chapters all across Canada, said chairperson Martha MacLellan.

Council members are in support of plans to build a centre for people diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.

Greg Debogorski, the executive director for the Yellowknife Association of Concerned Citizens for Seniors (YACCS), said the GNWT gave the organization $1 million to create detailed schematics of the care facility.

Debogorski said he is looking to have the plans for the 24-unit facility, with room for day programming and respite services, ready by Christmas to begin building in April.

According to him, the centre has been a long time in coming.

"About 20 years ago people began talking about it," said Debogorski.

The projected cost for the project is $21 million, a bill YACCS is hoping the GNWT will foot.

Marshall said this is exactly the kind of facility Yellowknife needs.

Right now there is little or no support out there for Alzheimer's patients who need 24-hour care outside a hospital setting in Yellowknife, she said.

The family currently receives help in the form of home care staff visiting for nine hours a week.

Marshall also hired someone to take care of her mom's day-to-day needs recently, but knows even this won't be enough eventually.