The Face of Alzheimer’s

24 Tuesday Sep 2013

Posted by Ann Napoletan in Advocacy and Awareness, Children and ALZ, Early Onset, Face of Alzheimer's, Inspiration

Tags

alzheimers story, alzheimers video, dementia, early onset alzheimers, eoad, younger onset alzheimers

In this lovely 7-minute long video, Ashley Bornancin shares her journey through Alzheimer’s. Imagine being a carefree 17-year-old, full of joy and excitement about what life holds in store for you.

And then, your mother is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. In an instant, your world is turned upside down.

Watch and listen as Ashley tells her poignant story, and please share with others – let’s help the world understand that the face of Alzheimer’s isn’t always what we might expect.

Thank you, Ashley, for so beautifully and courageously sharing your story…

Book Giveaway

22 Sunday Sep 2013

Posted by Ann Napoletan in Advocacy and Awareness, Books, Children and ALZ, Giveaways, World ALZ Month

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And the winners are…….. Cyndy and Becky. Congratulations!! Please send me an email and include your full name and mailing address. anapoletan(at)gmail(dot)com

Max contacted me and generously donated a copy of the book (in addition to the book I had planned to give away), thus two winners were randomly chosen.

winners

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Why_Did_Grandma_Put As World Alzheimer’s Month draws to a close, I thought it would be fun to do a book giveaway.

Many of you know I’m a huge fan of 17-year-old Max Wallack, an incredibly gifted third year neuroscience major at Boston University. Max is a tireless advocate and researcher in the Molecular Psychiatry and Aging Laboratory at BU’s Alzheimer’s Disease Center and was recently published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Winner of too many awards and honors to list, he founded Puzzles to Remember at age 12. Together with the Springbok, Max created a unique line of puzzles specifically for Alzheimer’s patients – fewer large, easy to handle pieces and with pleasing visual designs rather than childlike images. To date, PTR has distributed over 25,000 puzzles free of charge.

Most recently, this passionate future geriatric psychiatrist authored a children’s book with Carolyn Given. In Why Did Grandma Put Her Underwear in the Refrigerator, Max draws on his own experience as a young caregiver to his great grams. The beautifully illustrated book explains Alzheimer’s through the eyes of a child – to children who are facing the frightening disease firsthand. One of the things that struck me when I read the book is that he covered so much material – while the book is intended for kids, I believe we can all garner something from it.

If you would like a chance to win this wonderful book, simply leave a comment on this post.

I’ll choose a (random) winner at 11pm (eastern) on Sunday, September 29th. If you don’t have a young person who would enjoy the book in your life, think about donating it to a local nursing home, Alzheimer’s facility, or library.

Week in Review….

13 Saturday Jul 2013

Posted by Ann Napoletan in Advocacy and Awareness, Alzheimers.net, Blogging, Books, Caregivers.com, Children and ALZ, Events, Films, Helpful Resources, Products, Sandwich Generation, Tips

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week-in-review

I’m always puzzled as to how a week can drag on forever and fly by at the same time. It was one of those weeks for me and I’m mentally exhausted.

Angel’s Perch

Obviously, the best news of the week is that the Columbus screening of Angel’s Perch is now SET for Aug 14 at AMC Easton… with one caveat – we must sell 75 tickets by Aug 7 or the event will be canceled. Please help us make this happen; plan to come out and see this film that’s getting great reviews! Get your tickets now –> Reserve Tickets

This Week on Caregivers

Did you know July is National Sandwich Generation Month? There’s no question the number of people raising children while simultaneously caring for aging parents is on the increase. Monday on Caregivers, I did a piece entitled 9 Sanity Saving Resources for Sandwich Generation Month sharing some wonderful websites and books that might make the journey a little easier.

On Wednesday, I looked at four different products aimed at helping your loved one maintain a bit of independence. They may rely on you for more and more each day, but each little task they can do for themselves gives them a sense of purpose and satisfaction. 4 Products to Help With Maintaining Independence introduces a fantastic med box, complete with talking reminders, an easy-to-operate television remote control, a phone designed for the elderly and memory impaired, and a clock/calendar that won’t leave them asking “Is it dinnertime yet?” every hour on the hour. (((smile)))

A Great Book to Help Kids Understand ALZ

Finally, this week’s Alzheimer.net post is a review of Max Wallack’s fantastic new children’s book, Why Did Grandma Put Her Underwear in the Refrigerator? Beautifully written and drawing on Max’s personal experience growing up with his beloved great grandmother who had ALZ, it’s a book we can all benefit from. Grab your copy today – I highly recommend it!