Personal, professional passion drives new Alzheimer's board member

For the past two decades, Darin Vincent’s professional passion has been the development of intravenous access devices used for therapy infusions and blood sampling. In his role as director at BD Medical in Salt Lake City, he knew these devices could someday play a role in the treatment of diseases, including Alzheimer's.

Today, Vincent has a personal connection that coincides with his professional expertise. As the newest member of the board of the Alzheimer's Association of Utah, Vincent has a deeper personal understanding of the challenges and heartbreak of Alzheimer's after watching his mom deal with dementia for the last nine years of her life. 

“As one of her primary caregivers during those years, I observed firsthand the devastating impact of this disease on patients and families, stealing time, memories and finances,” said Vincent. “My goal is to help raise awareness of Alzheimer’s, fund research and, ultimately, witness the first survivor of Alzheimer’s and other dementias. There is great momentum in this direction, and now is the time to accelerate our efforts.”

Vincent has been actively engaged on all of these fronts. This month, BD is hosting an Alzheimer’s research and awareness presentation to discuss the current state of research, provide associates with information on where they can seek help for relatives and friends showing symptoms, and bolster the Alzheimer’s Association volunteer army.

On a personal level, the Vincent family has fundraised for the Association over the past 10 years via their annual Vincent Family Golf Tournament, raising over $80,000 for their Salt Lake County Walk to End Alzheimer’s team, Pat, Paul & Pals. Their 11th annual golf tournament will be held Aug. 9 at River Oaks Golf Course in Sandy.

“Awareness and early diagnosis are key to minimizing the impact of this disease,” Vincent said. “Part of increasing awareness involves understanding and reducing the stigma associated with Alzheimer’s and other dementias.”

Another key challenge facing families is the cost of professional care. While 80% of those living with Alzheimer's are cared for at home, those families that need skilled nursing or full-time professional care face significant financial burdens.

Vincent noted that “locating proper care for our mother once we could no longer care for her 24 hours a day” was a significant challenge. “The other big challenge was financial. Memory care is expensive and can drain the financial resources of patients and families.”

There are 38,300 Utahns among more than seven million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease, the only leading disease without a prevention or cure. For more information about the programs and services provided at no charge by the Alzheimer’s Association, visit alz.org or call the Association’s free Helpline, staffed 24/7 by trained professionals, at 800-272-3900.