Jerry and Ellen Hauck have both experienced dementia caregiving, both volunteer for the Alzheimer’s Association, and both have learned to reclaim romance in their lives. Jerry has been both an education facilitator (5-6 years) and support group facilitator (8 years) and Ellen has been a support group facilitator for about 8 years too. Jerry is a former high school coach and Ellen is an author … Continue reading Reclaiming romance in dementia caregiving
The leaves of memory seemed to makeA mournful rustling in the dark.~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow I am losing my mother in pieces. She is like an autumn tree: beautiful, colorful, and dying. The breeze of Alzheimer’s whispers through the branches while her memory drops off with the leaves. One day, when her tree is finally bare, I will hold a memory of her blooming strength. She … Continue reading Mother Nature…Mother Nurture
By Lori Stanton, Alzheimer’s Association Regional Manager Growing up, there were four of us. It never mattered that we didn’t all have the same Mom and Dad; as cousins, we were blood, and that was all we needed. In the earliest years, we didn’t even realize that one of us was a little different than the other three—aside from the obvious, one boy and three … Continue reading My Cousin, Stacy
by Kathy Teyler Jarrett You’ve gotten at least a tentative diagnosis, so what do you do next? Next steps may seem daunting, but there are things you can and should do now – even if you feel in a fog. Do the first 3 sooner rather than later. If you have done some of these already, great! 1. Get a good specialist for your loved one. If … Continue reading 12 Steps to Take After a Lewy Body Dementia Diagnosis
By Kathy Teyler Jarrett, Oregon LBD Support Group Facilitator LBD is not ALZ When I found my husband, Ben, at the back door—a pistol in one hand, phone in the other, describing to the cops the seven robbers who were getting ready to steal everything in our house—I knew we were in trouble. Not because there really were any robbers lurking. Because this was a … Continue reading 5 Ways Lewy Body Dementia is Different from Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s is the only disease I know of where, when it enters your life, you are completely on your own. And we felt very alone when we received the news that Mike had been diagnosed in April of 2014. Continue reading How Mike’s Alzheimer’s Diagnosis Stole the Love of My Life
