Today is the 1st day of November and the 1st day of National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month. Alzheimer’s is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States and the only one in the top 10 that is without prevention, a cure or a way to be slowed. Over 5.4 million people are living with Alzheimer’s disease and more than 15 million caregivers provide unpaid care. I was one of those 15 million.
Though I am no longer a physical caregiver, maybe I can say I’m more of a Caregiver Emeritus. I’ve moved up, to help be a guide and source of inspiration for those still in the trenches and for those to come.
If this is your 1st time to my blog, “Welcome”! Confessions is the accounting of my journey as my mom’s caregiver. I say unexpected in the tag line because AD is a disease that just shows up. It doesn’t always announce it’s coming. Even if you knew in advance that it was going to find its way way to your loved one, you never know how much it will affect your life until you are in the thick of it.
Join me this month as I look to bring more info, stories and journeys…maybe even some fun things to get. Alzheimer’s requires “awareness” year ’round, but during this designated month lets you & I knock this awareness out of the park! Now why did I use that termination, when I am clearly a “football girl”! OK, lets you & I Tackle Alzheimer’s! How can you do that? It doesn’t have to be a tremendously large event, it just has to be your thought, your idea. You can donate your time, your money, support a friend, start a walk in group like my friend Colette Cassidy or run like my friend Sam Howe, host a fundraiser, you don’t have to start big, start small…just start. And together we can END ALZ!
What are you doing in the next 30 days?
CONFESSIONS OF A MASTER CAREGIVER 