WATERLOO - Bev McCadam didn't set out to be an expert in the maze of Medicare Part D or in the support of individuals and families suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

She studied it all, however, when her own mother suffered from complications of the disease. Now, she is being honored as the Volunteer of the Year by the Iowa Association of Homes and Services for the Aging.

McCadam was nominated by Friendship Village, selected from names submitted from throughout Iowa.

"Bev is an incredible woman. Since retiring, she has spent her time volunteering in areas that consume an immense amount of time, studying Medicare laws, assisting individuals in determining what plan works best for them and facilitating the Alzheimer's support group," said Kathy Martin of Friendship Village.

McCadam's journey began in 1995 when her mother moved from New York into Friendship Village. Her mother relocated to the dementia-specific assisted living unit in 1996. McCadam became frustrated herself, believing her mother could do better in remembering things when in reality, she couldn't do better. She joined the Alzheimer's support group and began to understand the disease. Her mother spent more than two years in assisted living before transferring to a higher level of care, residing in the nursing facility for more than six years before her death.

McCadam was chosen to co-facilitate the support group, an organization open to the public at large, a position she has held for nine years. She has been instrumental in recruiting experts in the field from the University of Iowa and the Mayo Clinic to speak to the local group. She has served on the Alzheimer's Association board of directors, its fundraising and programming and education committees and was this year's top individual fundraiser for the Waterloo Memory Walk.

"When you are a caregiver for an Alzheimer's patient, you become their voice, an advocate for them," McCadam said. "Kathy Martin was a huge mentor for me because she knew so much about the disease. And Mother was a mentor because she taught me so much. Now I want to help people learn earlier in the process about the disease. It can take years of preparation. We never talked to Mother about it and I wished we had."

When she retired as business manager for Aerial Services in Cedar Falls in 2001, McCadam told the director of the Retired Senior Volunteer Program that she wanted to do something that used her mind and challenged her. That's when she became aware of the Senior Health Insurance Information Program, with which she has volunteered for more than eight years. She has helped people reverse denial of payment by Medicare and other health insurance companies.

"I kind of fell into all of this," she said. "It's been a good fit. A lot of my SHIIP clients also have relatives with Alzheimer's. Sometimes I feel like I'm working full time."

McCadam also volunteers with First United Methodist Church. She and her husband, Stan, live in Waterloo. The couple have four grandchildren, and one more on the way.

Besides the IAHSA award, McCadam was honored in 1996 by the East Central Iowa Alzheimer's Association as one of nine people given the "Nine Who Care" award sponsored by KCRG-TV. She received the Waterloo Mayor's Volunteer Award in 2007.

"It's all very nice," McCadam said. "But people are probably tired of hearing so much about me."

Contact Nancy Justis

at newsroom@wcfcourier.com.