NASHUA – “June 20 was the longest day of the year,” said Judy Loubier of New Boston. “Loubier rows out of the Independence Rowing club out of Nashua, on the Merrimack River.

This marked Loubier’s third year rowing to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association.

To prepare for the heat, Loubier said rowers pre-hydrated and hydrated during the glide along the river.

“Of the three years from the heat standpoint, this was the hardest row that I’ve done,” she said. “We did start early – we were out on the river by 7:15 – 7:30 in the morning. I had gotten electrolytes for everyone, that were in little purple packets – purple is the color for the Alzheimer’s Association.”

A total of five rowers started the day and rowed 6K down the river south, just past the Hudson-Nashua bridge and then road 6K back up the river.

“At that point, two people finished and so they did 12K,” Loubier said. “And I rowed up-river with two more of the five, and my total was just under 25K, which is what I’ve have done every year.”

Loubier said that last year, she rowed on her own; the year before two other people rowed with her.

“Somebody asked why I chose such a long distance,” she said. “It is a pretty crazy distance. The ‘Head of the Charles’ is 6K all-together. But the journey with Alzheimer’s is a very long journey. And it’s a hard journey. So, I chose to make this representative of what family caregivers go through, caring for someone, and what the person with Alzheimer’s or dementia goes through – it’s a long haul.”

Each rower has a skull and at the boat club, most people do own their own single skull, according to Loubier.

“There is a number of doubles and a couple of quads, she explained. “Right now, because of the pandemic, we are only allowing singles and a double if it’s a family member or someone that you live with. We’re still kind of socially distancing and the nature of rowing is that you do have to stay far apart because our blades are quite long. It’s a good sport for that reason because you are out there with someone but at a safe distance.”

Loubier was the sole fundraiser for the event. Her goal was to raise $2,000 and she raised $2150. She anticipated that she would fall short of her goal but exceeded it instead.

“I was very happy about that and I think it will be interesting to see what happens with the Alzheimer’s Association and fundraising this year,” she said. “Their biggest fundraiser is the ‘Walk to End Alzheimer’s,’ which happens in September in New Hampshire. But the Massachusetts-New Hampshire chapter raises the most money on ‘The Longest Day,’ across the country.”

The fundraising for Alzheimer’s is a passion project for Loubier, as she lost her mother to vascular dementia in 2016 and her aunt passed away from Alzheimer’s in May 2019. Other rowers have similar stories. When Loubier’s mother was diagnosed, she left her career as a physical therapist and started her own in-home senior care business.

“We provide services to the elderly around New Hampshire,” she shared. “We are providing almost 11,000 hours of service a month and about 70 percent of our clients have a form of dementia. Alzheimer’s is the most common form.”

Professionally, Loubier is an Alzheimer’s Association family support volunteer. She would frequently do talks in local libraries and at the Bedford office the New Hampshire Alzheimer’s Association.

“I spoke about knowing the ten signs and about effective communication,” she said. “I feel a passion for ensuring that we provide the quality of life for people with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia, as they progress in their disease and communication becomes difficult. There are other ways of communicating through non-verbal communication.”

Loubier’s business is 360 SHS (Senior Home Services); the 360 representing their goal of “completing the circle of care.”

For more information, contact the Alzheimer’s Association 24 Hour Helpline at 800-272-3900. Judy Lubier, PT, CSA, CDP, is the author of, “Why We Care; Choosing the Right Home Care Agency” . Her website is act.alz.org/goto/rowingforalz.