By Rick Banas of BMA Management, Ltd.
The message in the e-mail from Richard Nix of AgingCare.com was compelling: Help Change the World View of Alzheimer’s.
AgingCare.com is a website that enables people caring for an elderly loved one to ask questions, find support and share experiences.
After analyzing thousands of questions, answers and comments, one of the things that became clear to us, said Nix, is that even with all of the information that is available, people wanted to know how Alzheimer’s impacts real life.
In response, they developed the “Fade to Blank: Life Inside Alzheimer’s” website.
The website features personal stories that take you inside the lives of individuals with Alzheimer’s and their families.
You will meet…
David Hilfiker, a physician in his late 60s, and his wife, Marja.
Rick Phelps, who spent more than two decades serving as an emergency medical technician; Phyllis Phelps, his wife and primary caregiver; and Sam, Rick’s Alzheimer’s Service Dog.
Jean Del Campo, a 72-year-old with a “motherly spirit that pervaded every aspect of her life, and Michele DeSocio, her 47-year-old daughter and primary caregiver.
Their candid accounts, presented in words and video, lets you see some of the most private aspects of their lives. You will gain a truer understanding of what life with Alzheimer’s is really like.
The stories “demonstrate that there is so much more to this devastating disease than its finality – more life, more hope, more humanity,” says Nix.
The individuals featured on the website talk openly about diagnosis, doubt, denial, stigma and self-awareness. They also talk about the importance of on-line forums and support groups and about caring, coping, compassion, hope and love.
Love is the one thing that the disease cannot take away, declares Michele.
On the site, you’ll also find insights from Dr. Jagan Pillai, a neurologist and an Alzheimer’s disease expert with the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health.
The site was developed with no advertising or commercial aspects to encourage you to visit and share it with others.
The goal is to help change how the world views people with Alzheimer’s.
“Now that we know more, we can help others learn more,” says Nix.
You can visit the Fade to Blank website at www.fadetoblank.org. You can help by sharing information about the website to your friends, neighbors, relatives, co-workers and social network.
All affordable assisted living communities managed by BMA Management, Ltd. are certified and surveyed by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. All assisted living communities are licensed and surveyed by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
“BMA Management, Ltd. is the leading provider of assisted living in Illinois
and one of the 20 largest providers of assisted living in the United States.”
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