Sycamore Village Assisted Living - Swansea, IL

The Alzheimer's Community of Sycamore Village Assisted Living,  recently held their 2nd Annual Silent Art Auction for Alzheimer's.  This year, the auction and related sales topped $5,600 which Sycamore donated to the St. Louis University Neurology Department.  Dr. Eve Holzemer, DNP, ANP-BC and Administrative Director of the Clinical Research Unit at St. Louis University Neurology and Psychiatry department was on hand to accept the money and partake in the evening with residents, their families and friends.  Also on hand were David Troxel and Virginia Bell, co-founders of The Best Friends Approach to Alzheimer's Care as well as co-authors of the book, "A Dignified Life: The Best Friends Approach to Alzheimer's Care."  Both Troxel and Bell gave presentations to the staff of Sycamore Village earlier in the day.  They also took time out to autograph their book, which was available for purchase from Sycamore Village.  Troxel had already made a previous visit to Sycamore Village several years ago to speak and witness first hand the "Returning the Love" style of care that Sycamore adapted from The Best Friends Approach. Other special guests included Rachel Lugge and Stacey Tew-Lovasz of the Alzheimer's Association, St. Louis Chapter, who spoke on behalf of the organization and expressed their gratitude for the tireless commitment that Sycamore Village has for advancing Alzheimer's care and bringing awareness to this devastating disease.
In addition to the "star" studded guest list, there was a string quartet on hand that played throughout the evening. Once guests arrived, they were greeted and given an auction number to use for bidding.  Caterers passed through the crowd offering cold and warm appetizers as well as wine.  They also set up tables overflowing with cheeses, crudites and other bite size delectables. The centerpiece was a beautiful cake that had the Art Auction invitation incorporated into the icing.  The invitation was created from several of the residents art pieces. One family commented that the cake itself was a "work of art." 
The actual bidding was open from 4-7pm.  Guest mingled as they sipped wine and looked over the massive collection.  Several of the artist residents were on hand and enjoyed showing their work off to family and friends.  All of the art was labeled with the name of the artist or artists who created it.  The competitive bidding led to some good-natured fun as family members vied for the same piece.  Even staff members got into bidding wars. "Everyone had their favorites," says McFarland.  She continued with, "The whole experience was amazing. As happy as we are about raising such a large amount of money for Alzheimer's research, the process of putting the art show together; watching the residents enjoying themselves as they create the art, laughing, reminiscing..it has been a rewarding experience for everyone involved.  The residents' stories bring their artwork to life and I am pleased that those stories and their memories will live on in the artwork that will will be hanging in many of our homes."
In addition to the art that was up for auction there were also art pieces that had been displayed at the Galleries at Sole Survivor that were priced to sell. The gallery had shown 20 of the pieces during the month of October and sold 10 of them.  There were also packets of Christmas cards featuring artwork the residents had created.  The cards were professionally printed and had their stories on the back. As mentioned before, Sycamore Village was also selling "A Dignified Life: The Best Friend's Approach to Alzheimer's Care" and a cookbook created from recipes that contained "brain healthy" ingredients that were sent in from staff, family and friends.  There were also two "cash-and-carry" tables, filled with smaller pieces of art that people could purchase by any amount of donation. "Though this event is to raise money, we wanted everyone to have the chance to get a piece of art, especially family members," said Executive Director, Kendra Garnto.
As the evening was winding down, several of the guests spoke to the crowd. Dr. Holzemer was especially moved by the evening, "The Alzheimer's community at Sycamore Village is an inspiration to those of us who are conducting clinical research.  The generosity of these residents and their families help us in the medical profession to work even harder to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease.  The monies received from efforts such as this help to fund valuable research projects that move this science forward."
All of us at Sycamore Village would like to thank everyone who supported the auction and gave so generously. A special thanks goes out to all of our residents for sharing their life stories with us and reminding us all the importance of keeping those stories alive. We are already looking forward to next year's auction!!