As a registered nurse, Julie Bushmaker witnessed the impact Alzheimer’s disease can have on those diagnosed as well as on their loved ones. As a sister, she has seen the debilitating effects of dementia in her own brother.
Since her retirement, the Butte resident has steadily increased her personal commitment to the cause of battling Alzheimer’s, moving from community educator to fundraiser to legislative advocate. This year, she’s gone a step further, joining the board of the Alzheimer’s Association of Montana.
Following the diagnosis of her oldest brother, Colin Boehm, with Alzheimer’s, Bushmaker began volunteering with the Alzheimer’s Association as a community educator in 2022. That led to her engagement in fundraising activities, recruiting people for “The Longest Day” as well as events at local assisted living facilities around the Walk to End Alzheimer’s.
Bushmaker’s son, Trenton, serves as a medical researcher who receives funding through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is a major funder of Alzheimer’s disease research. Leaving no stone unturned, Bushmaker recently joined the Association’s legislative advocacy team that helps educate legislators locally, on the state level and nationally about the impact the disease has on the 22,000 Montanans and nearly 7 million people across the U.S. living with Alzheimer’s.
“I know the importance of the support of research to cure this disease,” she said of her advocacy work. The newest member of the Montana Alzheimer's Association board has taken her interest in research to another level.
“In 2024, I will volunteer for a TrialMatch at the McLaughlin Research Institute in Montana,” she said. “I have experience in clinical research trials as a registered nurse. In honor of my brother, Colin, who passed in 2023, I am interested in clinical trial’s prevention, treatment and eventual cure of Alzheimer’s and Frontal Temporal Dementia.”
Bushmaker is starting a two-year term on the 11-member Montana board.
“We are delighted that Julie is bringing her passion and commitment to the Montana board,” said Jami Funyak, executive director of the Alzheimer's Association of Montana. “Her medical expertise and her engagement in virtually every aspect of our mission makes her a perfect fit as we move forward in our effort to find a cure for Alzheimer's.”
Alzheimer's Association
The Alzheimer's Association leads the way to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia — by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer's and all other dementia.™ For more information, visit www.alz.org or call the 24/7 Helpline at 800.272.3900.