By Kerry Larkey, MSN, RN Monie Wheatcroft TenBroeck wasn’t able to spend as much time as she wanted with her father during the last few months of his journey with Alzheimer’s disease. When her father died in 2016, she was already consumed by the loss of her husband, who had died from cancer only one week before. Eight years later, Monie found a way to work through the unprocessed grief from her father’s death by organizing a successful pickleball fundraiser for The Longest Day®. In celebration of April’s National Pickleball Month, Monie shares why the sport changed her life and how organizing ..read more

By Kristina Hodge, RN Cece has been living with Alzheimer’s disease since 2019. Cece’s husband Paul spent the first few years of Cece’s diagnosis trying to balance the roles of husband and primary care partner. As Cece’s symptoms progressed, the couple made the decision to hire outside caregivers to provide additional care for Cece. Having the extra help relieved a great deal of stress for Paul, strengthened the couple’s relationship and provided support and companionship for Cece. Happy couple Getting diagnosed Cece’s initial reaction to being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease was, “You’ve g ..read more

Larry Romiti was the full-time caregiver for his wife Judy who was living with Alzheimer’s. When the COVID-19 pandemic happened, Judy and Larry found themselves isolated and alone. Larry’s health was failing and on the recommendation of his doctor, Larry moved Judy into a Nevada care setting. After her death in 2023, Larry began expressing his grief through art and started weaving a rug. Larry shares how he used this creative pursuit to work through his grief and find his way back to living his life. Larry and Judy The wild side When Larry first met Judy in 1980, they were both living on what ..read more

By Kristina Hodge, RN Mariana Pappageorge’s had been dreaming of running a marathon for 15 years. Even after her mother Kathy’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis 10 years ago, the dream continued. When the opportunity came to run in the Athens Marathon, she decided to use this as a way to raise money for Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Both of Mariana’s parents are of Greek decent, which made this marathon extra special. With hard work, a positive attitude and a commitment to the cause, Mariana honored her mother, her ancestry and all of those impacted by Alzheimer’s disease. Mariana (left) and Kathy (second fro ..read more

Dr. Yu (Sherry) Chen, a postdoctoral fellow at University California San Francisco (UCSF), was a recipient of the 2023 Alzheimer’s Association® Clinical Scientist Fellowship to Promote Diversity. Her research focuses on how the brain works and changes when you get diseases like dementia, specifically in the cerebellum. Last mystery in the world Dr. Chen first became interested in the brain when she was in high school. Her biology teacher shared that the brain the last mystery of the world, and it sparked an interest in Dr. Chen. “I went to medical school to pursue how the brain works,” said D ..read more

By Sharon Squires, RN  A person living with dementia can be challenging for any caregiver, regardless of race. The Black community traditionally are strong in caregiving responsibilities and will culturally rely on internal support groups and community organizations for their caregiving needs. Brandon, a Black man, is a caregiver for his mother who is living with the Alzheimer’s. He shares his personal struggles with anxiety and the importance of leaning on his family and his community for help. Beverly Beverly’s Life Before Alzheimer’s Brandon is the primary caregiver for his mother, Bev ..read more

When April Bolin’s mother, Margie, needed to be taken to the hospital at 2 a.m. because of hallucinations due in part to Alzheimer’s, she never thought she’d need to be dressed up to be taken seriously. However, April (a Black women) believes that the nurses looked at her in her disheveled state and decided she was trying to take advantage of her mother and blocked access to Margie. It was through this painful incident that April found the Alzheimer’s Association®. Today, April and her wife advocate for Alzheimer’s education so other people of color don’t have to experience what she did. April ..read more

Betty MacDonald and Dave Morley were recently married in March of 2022. They have known each other since 2009 when they both joined an Alzheimer’s Association® support group. At the time both were married to other people both of whom had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Betty’s husband John had been diagnosed in 2005 and Dave’s wife Bonny had received her diagnosis on Christmas Eve in 2008. While both John and Bonny have died, Betty and Dave continue to live an exciting life full of understanding, love and adventure together. Betty and Dave on their first date Friendly lunches Betty and Dave s ..read more

Famous Bay Area photographer, World War II veteran and civil rights activist, David Johnson, has an impressive resume of making the world a better place to live in. Continuing his activism well into his 80s, it was easy to assume his new quirks were just David being eccentric and not that of dementia. His wife, Jackie Sue, shares David’s illustrious past, and how important it is to both care for yourself and prepare for the future. David as a young man before WWII David Johnson: A history David Johnson was born in Florida in 1926, when segregation was normal and the Black community was expecte ..read more

As people pursue their New Year’s resolutions, the Alzheimer’s Association® is encouraging everyone to commit to brain health in 2024. Research shows that healthy behaviors may reduce the risk of cognitive decline and help reduce the risk of dementia. A recent poll reported that retired Americans fear developing dementia more than any other condition. While some brain changes are inevitable as we age, there is a growing body of research to suggest that adopting healthy behaviors, including healthy eating, exercising regularly, not smoking and staying cognitively engaged may help our brain heal ..read more