Meet Kay Adams, author of Bedside Witness

Jan 17, 2024 11:22 am

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weekly with news of our latest author, podcast, and events to guide the dementia caregiving journey. Feel free to share what you see here with

others concerned about Alzheimer's and dementia. Stay with us.

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Hello ,

Greetings from snowy New Hampshire! I spent the past weekend in New York City with my family, taking in the sights and sounds of a city that never sleeps and seeing the inspiring Broadway production of The Lion King. For those of you not familiar with the story, a young lion cub witnesses the death of his father and over time finds the courage and strength to go on and live in his image. The circle of life is clearly depicted in this beautiful tale and I couldn’t help but see the connection to our featured author, Kay Adams and her beautiful book Bedside Witness. As a social worker who spent many years in hospice, Kay witnessed the journey of those dying and found inspiration and hope for her own life. Her experiences in her profession inspired her to live her life with a sensitivity and wisdom and to share it with her readers. So many times we find inspiration and hope from new life or birth, but it takes wisdom and courage to also find it in death. Kay has done so with compassion and a gift for story telling that will draw you in and find comfort in her words.

Sending inspiration to all of you.

~Andrea

Kay Adams is our featured author and blog post for this week, with a deep connection to working in dementia hospice, palliative care, and dementia coaching. As Kay says, “Fueled by their examples, I've come to understand what it means to have hope amidst the darkest of times, to heal even if you can't be cured, and to drink deeply from the well of humanity when we are most in need of quenching our thirst for connection.”

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Our Most Recent Podcast

Andrea Couture is a member of the AlzAuthors management team who came to us following publication of her lovely memoir, Embracing What Remains, inspired by her family's journey with her father's Alzheimer's. She was the first to include caregiving during COVID in one of our book selections and was also a member of the "sandwich generation," caring for a parent while raising young children. You will enjoy her story. In this episode, you will be able to:

Uncover the impact of COVID-19 on Alzheimer's caregiving and learn strategies to navigate through it
Understand the importance of sharing Alzheimer's experiences and how it can positively impact caregivers and families
Explore writing as a powerful form of Alzheimer's advocacy and its potential to make a difference.

Start listening!

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AlzAuthors co-founder Jean Lee, author of Alzheimer's Daughter, recently joined the podcast "Confessions of a Reluctant Caregiver." In this episode, Jean opens up about her emotional journey of caring for both of her parents as they battled Alzheimer's in their 80's. As a third-grade teacher, she noticed their health and abilities declining and, along with her sister, faced the tough task of convincing them to transition from their home to assisted living facilities - a decision that brought much guilt.

Listen here!

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We've Partnered with the Dementia Spring Foundation

We're pleased to announce our new partnership with Dementia Spring! The Dementia Spring Foundation is a bridge between the dementia and arts communities, funding artists and arts organizations doing original and programmatic work with the dementia community, raising awareness, and inspiring creativity and joy among people with dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease. Dementia Spring highlights a new artist every week through the Dementia Arts Spotlight Series, and provides annual grants to artists and arts organizations through the Dementia Arts Impact Awards. The "Dementia Arts Celebration" brings together the artistic and dementia communities to celebrate the impact the visual and performing arts can have on the lives of those with dementia, their families, and caregivers. Our collaboration will help support exceptional writers and artists to share their dementia stories and provide opportunities to promote their work.

Learn more about Dementia Spring

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Changes at AlzAuthors

AlzAuthors is in the midst of great change as we move from in-house management of our website to a service agency. Please bear with us throughout this transition as there may be glitches and gaps here and there. This is due to our growth over the last few years and the need to ensure consistent care of our site. We strive to offer you the highest quality we can provide with our various services, including the blogs, resources, bookstore, and podcast. We are also making changes in our social media practices. We appreciate your support during this time.

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Please join us for our first AlzAuthors Live! Virtual Q&A for 2024: Dementia & the Arts, January 23 at 7 pm EST, a panel discussion centered on the use of the arts as a means of expression in dementia care. We will explore the benefits of using these modalities and how families and others in dementia care can bring them to those living with these conditions.

Please share this newsletter and event information with your family, friends, and any others you may know who are concerned with dementia, including: online and in-person support groups, memory cafes, home care personnel, healthcare providers, and memory care. Thank you.

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Join Our New Book Club!

We're excited and honored to announce we're partnering with the online community Aging & Amazing to begin a monthly book club, a “Meet the Author” type of event, starting in January. Andrea Couture, author of the memoir Embracing What Remains, will moderate. We will feature a new book and author every month. Here's the schedule through April:

January 30th 7pm EST: Andrea Couture – Embracing What Remains: A Memoir
February 27th 7pm EST: Florrie Munat – Be Brave, a Wife’s Journey Through Caregiving
March 26th 7pm EST: Ruth Stevens– Stage Seven, a novel
April 30th 7pm EST: A gathering of poets for National Poetry Month: featuring Sherri Levine, Stealing Flowers from the Neighbors; Sue Fagalde Lick, Gravel Road Ahead; Daniel Potts, MD, Bringing Art to Life; Margaret Stawowy, co-editor of Storms of the Inland Sea, an anthology with Jim Cokas

To learn more about this book club or to become a member, please visit agingamazing.com.

Register here to get the link to the Zoom meetings.

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Susan’s Design of the Week

Please copy and share with your friends and followers on social media.

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We have so much to learn ...

You will find several of the authors in AlzAuthors at this free virtual event for family members, caregivers or others involved with someone diagnosed with dementia and/or Alzheimer's disease.

Learn more here

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Please Support our Mission

Our mission is to provide quality resources for those concerned with Alzheimer’s and dementia. Please help by connecting with us in at least one new way this week:

Become an AlzAuthors Donor

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