Norma McCrory stopped by the Selma Rotary Club meeting on Monday to speak about the effects of Alzheimer’s disease.

McCrory, a retired Extension District Agent for the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, now serves as a facilitator for the local Alzheimer’s Support group where she conducts training for nursing home and hospital staff, as well as other interested groups.

According to statistics provided by McCrory at Monday’s meeting, almost 300,000 caregivers provided over 300 million hours of unpaid care at a cost of over $4 billion in the state of Alabama in 2011.

Selma Rotary Club President James Steele stated how necessary McCrory’s presentation was in educating everyone about the effects of the commonly faced disease.

“I think it was really necessary,” said Steele. “Alzheimer’s is something a lot of families face. To know about it is the first step in facing it. We were really happy to have Ms. McCrory here today.”

McCrory was a wealth of information as she informed the Rotarians about the symptoms and effects of the disease in a tight 20-minute presentation.

Many of those in attendance murmured to one another and nodded during the presentation to share their understanding of the symptoms and effects of the disease McCrory discussed.

McCrory has been actively sharing information about the disease for nearly 25 years.

Like so many others, McCrory’s mother had Alzheimer’s, which led to her passion for sharing information about the ailment.

“It’s so rewarding to help people understand this disease that we can’t do anything about,” she said.