Special to Fort Myers News-Press

USA TODAY NETWORK – FLORIDA

The Dubin Center held its 27th annual meeting at the FGCU Cohen Center where caregivers and persons living with dementia joined the Board of Di-rectors, Advisory Council and staff. The evening began with a special presentation about innovations in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. 

Caregiver Barbara Gatison, an Advisory Council Member, gave a heartfelt speech about the support the Dubin Center provided her while she was the caregiver to her late husband, Len-ward. Special awards were given to those community members who have volunteered for the center for 10-plus years. Executive Director Lynne Thorp, gave a special recognition to Jamie Seneca for serving more than 20 years at the Dubin Center.

The evening also included an emotional recognition of this year’s Dubin Center scholarship program recipient. Emily McNulty was the winner of the essay contest and received a $1,000 scholarship. The University of Florida student lived with her mom and grand-mother since she was a little girl in Estero. Emily’s mom was a home health caregiver by day and caregiver to her mother who had Alzheimer’s. During the pandemic, Emily’s mom was diagnosed with cancer and Emily took over caregiving duties. Her mom recently died and her grandma moved to live with another family member. The scholarship was tripled by an anonymous donor to help Emily get back on her feet. To read the full essay and her letters of recommendation, visit du-bincenter.com/scholarship-program.

Lastly, the evening finished with a special announcement. After review-ing the Annual Report (dubincen-ter.com/resources), The Shady Rest Foundation presented Thorp with a $100,000 donation to support the vi-sion of the Dubin Center – no one will face dementia alone.

The Dubin Center has been offering free support to those impacted by dementia in Southwest Florida for 26 years. The Center offers free memory screenings, crisis counseling, support groups and educational training for family caregivers. The mission of the Dubin Center is to achieve caregiver health, strength, and resilience by providing education, information, hope and compassion and the vision is no one will face dementia alone. 

The Dubin Center is a nonprofit agency aiding families of individuals suffering from dementia in Southwest Florida. Since 1995, The Dubin Center has supported caregivers and individuals living with dementia by providing support groups and training, home health care, community placement hospice, respite, and more. The staff and volunteers of the Dubin Center work to achieve caregiver health, strength, and resilience by providing education, information, hope, and compassion. For more information, visit dubincenter.com, or call 239-437-3007.