Confessions of a Reluctant Caregiver with @sisterhoodcare on @ukhealthradio- @JeanLee18 shares her experiences caring for her parents, both diagnosed with #Alzheimers, leading her to become an author and co-found @AlzAuthors. bit.ly/3NXkloy #wellbeingpodcast ..read more

 Hello Friends, I was on vacation last week at a lovely lake in the mountains of TN. My husband and I have been trailering a small water ski boat to this lake for 31 years. We started this trip when our own children were age 10 and 14. Now we have grandchildren that age who love the water sports just as their parents did. Here's a photo I snapped, in the quiet of one early morning, from the balcony of our rented house. This time away with family always provides a space for personal reflection.  This year I was aware that Lisa Marshall’s post about her beautiful spouse memoir,&nb ..read more

As a former teacher, I observed students to be inclined either toward areas of art or areas of logic. These two inclinations were most likely separate and rarely merged. Those who leaned toward the arts loved to read and write but the logical study of scientific data and math equations was more tedious for them and vice versa. I’ve always been an individual drawn to the arts. I’ve loved to read. Immersion in books taught me other points of view and books took me other places. No book was ever too long for me. I just whittled away, lost in the words and concepts, until the book was magically o ..read more

 We’ve all had life-changing experiences. My first, and most impactful, happened when I was too young to have memory. In 1956, I was diagnosed with spinal meningitis when I was two and a half years old. We lived in small-town Ohio where the undertaker doubled as the ambulance driver. I was rushed to the nearest large children’s hospital and put in isolation. Two other children were also hospitalized with the same infection. They died within days. As a last-ditch effort, doctors drilled three burr holes in my tiny skull to relieve pressure. (I can still feel the dents in my head, although ..read more

  Most Recent Featured AlzAuthor Paula de Ronde, a retired librarian from Ontario, Canada, was thrown into a spouse caregiver role for her beloved husband, Bert. As a result of her powerful journey she wrote My Bert Has Alzheimer's. We guarantee your heart will be touched as you learn about their intimate journey. Paula shares: I was uninformed but not for long as my life, career and advocacy interests all seemed to converge with the diagnosis. Writing became my therapy and a major self-care issue as I stumbled through the highs and lows of caring for my beloved husband who was slowly ..read more

  AlzAuthors Most Recent Author Julissa Cruz Gomez is a Dominican doctor who lives and works in the Netherlands. In her vividly colorful book she takes children on a journey through the brain's pathways. Julissa writes: In this story, my niece, along with her cousin, a cat and a dog, undertake a wonderful journey to their grandmother's brain to understand what is happening there. There they meet Mr. Hippocampus and see the neurons up close. It is a beautiful story where children learn that love, patience and empathy is what their grandparents with cognitive problems need the most.  ..read more

  I encounter Anthony Copeland-Parker's book through shared Alzheimer's and dementia tribes on social media.  He and his partner, Catherine, write an amazingly inspiring travel memoir, Running All Over the World; Our Race Against Early-Onset Alzheimer's, in which they detail their life as marathoning nomads despite life-altering diagnoses which would sideline most people to the security of their home and an easy chair. Instead, they decide to push every boundary and live a life beyond full... to overflowing. Anthony writes: Just like the attitude Catherine takes towards running a ..read more

LaBena Fleming's first book, I Love You Always, One Family’s Alzheimer’s/Dementia Journey and the Lessons Learned Along the Way, details her journey as her mom's devoted caregiver. Now in her second book, LaBena lends more support to caregivers by publishing Caregiver to Caregiver, A Scripture-Focused, Guided Reflection Journal in hopes that hurried caregivers will take time for reflection and renewal of the spirit. LaBena shares: I feel my book is beneficial to others because I encourage them to do many of the things caregivers either don’t think to do, forget to do, or don’t think they ha ..read more

My heart was touched as I read Rayna Neises' memoir/caregiver guide, No Regrets; Hope for Your Caregiving Season. She allowed her book to be posted with AlzAuthors at the end of November.  Although Rayna lived 200 miles from her dad, she and her family devised a nearly impossible plan to provide 24-hour care while keeping her father in his own home. Read Rayna's book and be inspired, knowing you are not alone in your journey. Rayna writes: After burying my dad in 2018 I reflected on the season of caring for him in his home with family members, paid caregivers and myself providing 24-hour ..read more

A few months ago I had the pleasure of meeting Laurette Klier and discovering her wonderful book series called Nana’s Books. One example is Sit With Me At Sundown, Nostalgic Poetry for the Young at Heart. The series includes over a dozen other nostalgic picture and literature books for seniors. These books would be an excellent addition to any senior living community, adult day care setting, and any home in which an elder is being cared for. Laurette states: Confounded by the lack of quality reading materials at my mother-in-law’s long-term care facility, I scoured the internet ..read more