Putting a Young Face on an Old Disease
Ashley Tracey was in middle school when her grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. “He was the spitfire of the family,” she remembers. “He was the one who would give you a wet willy when you were playing cards to try to distract you.” Although they didn’t live in the same area and she didn’t […]
“Will I Be Next?” Work-in-Progress Clip at International Neuropsychological Society’s Annual Meeting
The International Neuropsychological Society (INS) held its 44th annual meeting in Boston February 3-6, 2016. A six-minute work-in-progress clip from Will I Be Next? was shared prior to the awards ceremony, after the plenary session. INS Executive Director Gordon Chelune plans to devote an entire session to the film at the 2017 conference. The screening in […]
Memory Cafés Serve Comfort & Laughter to Community
It’s been 12 years since Alzheimer’s disease ended my mother’s time on earth. I miss her every day, and there is comfort in the words of Morrie Schwartz (Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom), “As long as we can love each other, and remember the feeling of love we had, we can die without ever […]
Dementia-Friendly Communities: The New Front Porch
Bemidji, Redwood Falls, Mankato, Paynesville, Chippewa Falls, Fort Atkinson, Watertown, Green Bay… What does this list of communities in Minnesota and Wisconsin have in common other than their interesting names? They have all been on a mission to make their communities dementia friendly. When I first heard about this growing movement, it took me by […]
1500 Points of Light
Before movies, we looked to the sky for stories. In the cast of constellations, we knew of relationships, pursuits, and transformations. We could tell when it was time to plant, which direction to travel, and what hardships may lie ahead. In the northern hemisphere, the approach of winter made each day darker and colder than […]
Who Cares for the Caregiver?
By Jean Wentz, Production Assistant November is National Family Caregivers Month, with the theme focusing on respite. I’m a caregiver one day a week for Colette Kolstad, a woman in the advanced stages of early-onset Alzheimer’s. She celebrated her 67th birthday last week. Ten years ago she was forced to retire from a thriving and […]
Take a Step
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” — Confucius Alzheimer’s disease is becoming so widespread that it seems to touch almost every family. It’s easy to throw up our hands helplessly and accept the status quo. But September is World Alzheimer’s Month, and people around the globe are raising awareness and […]
Why?
My mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in the spring of 2001. My father called me earlier in the year saying she was having trouble completing her sentences – she could not remember the words she wanted to use. I made the 40 minute trip to visit and saw for myself. We knew something was wrong, […]