Alzheimer's Awareness Month 2025: Meet Ash and Erin

Ash Abhyankar and Erin Guppy have a friendship that spans nearly three decades. Since Erin’s mother, Joanne, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, the two friends have grown even closer.

The Abhyankar and Guppy families first connected when Erin became close friends with Ash’s son in middle school. Their bond deepened in March of 2022, when Erin supported Ash during his recovery from knee surgery and eventually opened up about the challenges she faced as a caregiver for her mother.

 Joanne’s journey began in 2015, when Erin’s partner, a nurse at Lions Gate Hospital, started noticing changes in Joanne’s behavior. A lifelong teacher, and music enthusiast at Bursting with Broadway community choir, was showing signs of dementia, prompting Erin and her partner to begin a fight to secure Joanne’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

In 2019, Erin and her partner were told that it would be a good time for Joanne to move into long-term care. They were also told to expect a three-year wait for a public bed close to home. Joanne was offered a space at a private care home in Langley that specialized in supporting people living with dementia However the three-hour drive to visit her mother, combined with Joanne’s struggles to adapt to the care provided, made Erin realize they needed to fast-track their plan to secure a public bed closer to home.

“My mother lived in West Vancouver from 1971 to 2019,” Erin says. “She taught kids in this community, volunteered, worked her whole life here and has given back so much. And yet we were left to accept a placement in a private care facility in Langley.”

Ash, familiar with the health-care system through his volunteer work and caregiving for his sister — who sustained a traumatic brain injury as a toddler in India and ultimately developed dementia —immediately stepped in to help.

“He likes to make things happen and he took me under his wing as his daughter,” Erin says.

And Ash did make things happen. With help from his connections and determination, Erin was able to move her mother to a care home just ten-minutes away, allowing her to visit Joanne almost every day.

“My mom showed us how it’s done. Creating community and being there for others,” Erin says. “She’s the kindest, bravest and most loving woman I know. I’m really proud of her.”

The shared values of community and connection, though rooted in different experiences, bring both Ash and Erin a sense of joy and hope.

“My partner Jen was huge on getting that relationship with the Alzheimer Society of B.C. started,” Erin says. “She was really worried about me, so she phoned the First Link® Dementia Helpline. The fact that they called every few months, checked in - it was sort of like a blanket. Like someone was there if I needed them.”

Echoing Erin’s experience, Ash is now a valued volunteer, fundraiser and outspoken advocate for the Alzheimer Society of B.C., a journey that began after volunteering at the IG Wealth Management Walk for Alzheimer's, inspired by his sister and many other people in his life who lived with the disease – including his aunt, uncle and brother-in-law, as well as his best friend of 40 years, Clark.

“I refer people in my network, who are going through many of the same issues I’ve experienced, to the organization,” Ash says.

Recently, he introduced a server at a local restaurant to the Alzheimer Society of B.C. and First Link®, after learning about her father’s recent actions and behavior. “Many people who aren’t on the journey feel that it’s a burden being a caregiver. But I treat it as a learning experience, giving me a purpose.”

Erin, too, has embraced the learning opportunities her caregiving journey has brought her since that initial First Link® call.

“I’ve found the magic of ‘being’ and glimpses of joy and connection,” Erin says. “I see this through connections with the Alzheimer Society of B.C., the angels who work alongside Mom and the importance of family - especially when my brother Blair and his kids visit from New York to light up ‘Nai Nai’s’ days. When you really sit down and think about it, it takes a village to navigate this disease and help our loved ones live with the dignity they so much deserve.” Reflecting on his community, including his friends, family, caregivers, nurses and the Alzheimer Society of B.C., Ash describes them as “angels” who walk alongside him and Erin every step of the way.