Gary’s Groupies gather for Alzheimer’s walk

Royalwood

When two people truly love and care about one another, nothing – not even a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease — can get in their way.

Gary Garbutt and Barb Taylor, River Park South residents in their 80s and together for 35 years, are spokespeople for the Alzheimer’s Society of Manitoba. With their family, they are participating in the May 30 Walk for Alzheimer’s in Assiniboine Park.

Gary’s Groupies, as they call themselves, will join hundreds of others raising funds for local programs and services that improve the quality of life for people living with dementia and their loved ones in Manitoba.

According to the Alzheimer’s Society, 20,300 Manitobans are currently living with dementia, and that number is expected to climb to more than 39,000 by 2050. Every day, nine people are diagnosed with the disease in Manitoba.

Garbutt’s Alzheimer’s journey began in 2022, when he started to forget things. In 2023, he called the Alzheimer’s Society, which invited him to attend a support group. A retired letter carrier, Garbutt was still working, mowing grass and clearing snow for his customers while he and Taylor lived just outside the Perimeter. He didn’t have time for meetings.

Following a move to River Park South in December of 2024, the Society checked in on Garbutt in March 2025, and he was ready. That May, he was officially diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Garbutt joined an Alzheimer’s Society support group led by client support co-ordinators, while Taylor joined one for caregivers.

Their respective support groups helped them navigate their new reality together and led to Garbutt’s recruitment as a spokesperson for the Society.

A chance comment about Garbutt’s group being his “happy place” earned him an introduction to the Society’s communications team.

“You’re the guy we need,” he was told.

“Being a spokesperson has given Gary a job, a purpose, it helps him – he has something to do, to think about. Like a third career for him. At the same time, it’s something we do together,” Taylor said.

“Alzheimer’s can be difficult, you feel alone and doomed in way,” Taylor noted. “The Walk for Alzheimer’s lets families dealing with the disease know that’s not the case.”

“What you’ve got is what you’ve got,” concluded Garbutt. “It’s not hard to do when you have a support group and someone you love by your side.”

Visit www.alzheimer.mb.ca to register for the Walk for Alzheimer’s, to learn more, and to support Gary’s Groupies. The Walk for Alzheimer’s begins at 10 a.m. on May 30 at the Lyric Theatre in Assiniboine Park.