Steinbach Alzheimer’s walk to build community, start conversations

When Steinbach resident Linda Wiebe discovered her husband started showing dementia symptoms 12 years ago, it began the “slow goodbye.”

Wiebe’s husband, Herb, was diagnosed in 2019 with Lewy body dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease, a degenerative brain disease that causes the gradual death of brain cells. He was 68 when he died on May 4, 2025.

“The impact on families is life-changing, and I think a lot of people don’t realize how far-reaching the disease goes,” she told The Carillon.

Throughout her husband’s journey with the disease, Wiebe, 67, relied on the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba for support to navigate the diagnosis and care. Since her husband died, she’s become an advocate for supporting caregivers when a relative has dementia.

“What I think is important is to speak up and show up for those who can no longer communicate for themselves,” she said.

The 2026 IG Wealth Management Walk For Alzheimer’s will happen on June 7 at K.R. Barkman Park. The walk will begin at 12:30 p.m., traveling from the park, down Main Street and looping back to the park.

Once the walk is finished, hot dogs and chips will be provided. There will be lawn games and different resources available to learn about dementia’s risk factors. This year’s walk is the third since pausing over the pandemic.

Wiebe participated in her first walk last year. She previously couldn’t participate in the walks because all of her time was spent caring for Herb. The walk is an important sign of support, Wiebe said, because some friends would often be uncomfortable visiting because they didn’t know how to interact with or talk about dementia. She took Herb to participate in the charity’s programming, which helded physical movement exercises.

“That was really special because it got my husband out with other people that were struggling with the same thing as him, but they (charity staff) made it such a fun experience that it was really special,” she said.

Carly Ross, the South Eastman regional coordinator for the Alzheimer’s Society of Manitoba, hopes the walk will spark community connections and conversations about dementia’s impacts on families. She said she sees the walk as an opportunity for community and family members to support individuals who’ve been “touched by dementia.”

“We could one day very well be facing a diagnosis, and the more people who can come out the better. I think it really just shows support and openness to discussing it,” Ross said.

There’s a lack of information about dementia, which creates a stigma when people don’t know how to approach someone who has a diagnosis or someone who’s supporting a loved one, she said.

When the conversation about dementia is discussed, there often is “visible discomfort” in talking about it, Ross said. A reoccurring view is that people see dementia as the end stages of the disease, when patients require 24 hours of care in a personal care home, rather than the terminal disease’s progressive journey, she said.

According to the charity, more than 20,300 Manitobans have Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. By 2050, that number is expected to grow to 39,100 people. Everyday nine Manitobans are diagnosed with dementia. More than half of people in the province have experienced dementia with a friend or family member diagnosed with the disease.

Ross said she’s aware of at least 200 people in Steinbach with a dementia diagnosis, but expects that number to be higher.

It’s important to support the care workers alongside the patients who have a diagnosis, she said. As the disease progresses, there can be grief over the loss of future plans someone might have had with a patient or the loss of memories.

“One day somebody could be struggling to get dressed in a way that they once didn’t struggle, and it can be a challenging thing, for, of course, the person living with dementia, but also the people that live with them or care for them,” Ross said.

More accessible and aging-friendly housing is needed in the Southeast as wait lists for beds in personal care home facilities are growing, she said. She knows of people who can still live at home with a diagnosis, but other individuals require more intensive care but can’t access the 24-hour supervision that would be at a personal care home, adding extra strain to their caregivers.

To register for the walk as an individual participant or join a team, people can sign up by following the links at www.alzheimer.mb.ca.