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I am writing today about my Aunt Terry. She was a vibrant, vivacious woman who always looked great from her early years to her smart short cut gray hair she sported in her 80’s. She was opinionated and shared her views on everything from politics to the weather and often colored things with her delightful wit. She was a wonderful wife to my uncle and raised my 4 cousins to be good people. The last time I saw her she was standing over the stove showing all the nieces how to simmer the bacon and the onions in the recipe for German Potato salad, a family favorite handed down generation to generation. I will treasure that time with her as I will never have another chance. We lost my Aunt Terry September 17th to Alzheimer’s.
 
In June my cousin Kathy contacted me when she learned I worked for Alzheimer’s Services. My Aunt had been living with her for the past year after developing Alzheimer’s and Kathy was lost. She was unaware of my knowledge and had no local support in her area of Florida. She didn’t have a clue to the challenges, the behaviors, the medications and their effects, the financial burden and the incredible amount of stress it would put on her. She was so grateful for the information I offered. She took my Aunt Terry to Buffalo, our original home town, for a family wedding and left her with her sister for a month and then another sister for a month when the family decided it would be best to place her in a nursing home. The first was not exactly a good match but they were happy with the second nursing home. My aunt was there for just over a little more than a month when Alzheimer’s claimed her. She was the third in the family that Alzheimer’s claimed, my grandmother in 1974 and my Uncle Elmer in 2004. She leaves my Aunt Mary and Aunt Rita who currently have Alzheimer’s and my Aunt Bernie who is showing early signs of it. They were or are all in their 80’s when the disease became evident.  

Research indicates that the disease begins affecting the brain 25 years before the symptoms become evident. At 54 I am at a critical point to be mindful of every precaution I can take to possibly prevent the plaques and tangles from forming in my brain. Having Alzheimer’s on both side of my family, both my mother and her sister are currently affected also, I don’t really worry about it but I certainly make choices that research indicates decrease my chances. A healthy diet, exercise, brain games, socialization, a variety of activities and interests, are all a part of my life. A healthy dose of prayer is my addition to the research. I am hopeful that the research develops interventions and in the meantime am inspired by the families we serve at Alzheimer’s Services knowing we help people on the Alzheimer’s journey every day.