Frank Silverstein Documents His Parents' Story in Lousy: Love in the Time of Dementia

May 18, 2022 3:17 pm

Dear AlzAuthor,

As the month of May winds down, I'm reflecting on the early days of AlzAuthors, which started out as a one month collaboration between me, Jean and Vicki Tapia, and somehow has us celebrating our seventh anniversary next month! How much we have accomplished! How much is still to come! With that in mind, I'm sharing the first email that hinted at the possibility of an entity named AlzAuthors, which became a global community of 300+ authors sharing personal stories of dementia to light the way for others.

They said yes! Here is the first post: Beyond Still Alice: 5 Alzheimer's Books You May Have Missed, which was published on all of our personal blogs and on the blogs of a few helpful friends.

Thanks for sticking with us! And stay tuned to see what's coming next.

Marianne

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Introducing Our Latest Author: Frank Silverstein

Frank Silverstein, a digital and television news-magazine producer for 30 years, focused his camera on his parents and hit record when their odd behaviors turned bizarre, causing great concern for him and his brother.

He writes:

The day I first noticed something was wrong is also the day I first began making this film. My wife and I were visiting for lunch when my parents surprised us by demanding we leave their house immediately. We did. And when we returned an hour or so later, my mother was very upset because she didn’t know what happened to us. Why we had left the house? Where we had gone? I had no idea what to say. But, as we all talked this through, it became clear that my parents, temporarily, had no idea who we were. As we continued talking, things got sorted out, and in the short term everything returned to normal. In the long term however, things were never going to be "normal" again.

Read the entire post:

https://alzauthors.com/2022/05/17/frank-silverstein-lousy-love-in-the-time-of-dementia/

Retweet our announcement of Frank's post:

https://twitter.com/AlzAuthors/status/1526719348043390976?s=20&t=Xy4_a3C2EsxhjkCcCE7bTg

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On the Podcast: It's Catch Up Time!

The podcast is on a break as we prepare for our 7th anniversary celebration. We’ve got one pod later this month where you’ll learn more about what we've accomplished in the last year and what’s coming up next, and our 7th anniversary celebration plans. In the meantime, take some time to catch up on (or repeat) some earlier episodes:

Untangling Dementia Behaviors with Lisa Skinner

Untangling Caring for Two Parents Diagnosed at the Same Time with Jean Lee

Untangling Working and Writing While Caring for Mom with Robin Perini

Untangling the Expressive Arts for Dementia Care with Daniel C. Potts, MD

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You won't want to miss this!

Caring for a father with a dementia diagnosis brings to caregiving its own special set of circumstances and considerations. In this AlzAuthors Live! Virtual Q&A we explore these changes and challenges with four of our authors. Their stories will inspire and empower you on your own dementia journey. Open to all interested parties, not just those caring for a father. The information will be informative and inspiring to all concerned with dementia. More details are available on our website or you may register below. Please join us!

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Voting is Now Open!

Please vote for us in UK Health Radio's 2022 Awards in the "Dementia Support" category. Last year we won in the Listeners Vote category for "Care Organizations." You can help make us winners again. Thank you for your support. Listen to UK Health Radio, home of The "D" Word, the UK’s only dementia based radio show. Host Pete Hill talks to experts and people living with dementia to raise awareness of this condition affecting 50 million people across the globe. Pete has interviewed several AlzAuthors, and is open to requests to be on the show.

Vote Here!

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A long-time dream coming true...

Last Friday we had the honor of presenting a Custom Caregiver Collection to the The Diversified Medical Technologies classes led by MaryAnn McMahon MSN, RN at The Medina County Career Center in Medina, OH.

These newly trained State Tested Nursing Assistants will use the personal experiences of AlzAuthors as they begin their careers in geriatric healthcare.

Thank you to all who believe so deeply in this project.

For years we've wanted to find a way to get physical books into the hands of those who need them: caregivers and others concerned with dementia. With our tiny team of volunteers this seemed like a long shot. But our dream is coming true! We are now offering

real books

to real people

in real places

through Custom Caregiver Collections

We are quickly placing our initial 10 collections in 10 locations throughout the U.S.

We owe a debt of gratitude to five special people who made this dream come true:

author Paulette Sharkey for her generous donation to launch this project
author and manager Susan Landeis and her husband, Randy, for the craftsmanship of these lovely table-top shelves which hold 15-20 books
management team members Jean Lee and Ann Campanella who wouldn't let go of this dream.

Stay tuned as we bring you news about how you can become involved in this new initiative.

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Our shop is open 24/7!

The best thing about our store is that it never closes! You can pick up something new whenever the mood hits. Our specialty items make terrific gifts, too. And all proceeds support our mission to provide quality resources for Alzheimer's and dementia caregivers. We're sure you'll find something you love. Please share pics of yourself wearing or using your AlzAuthors apparel on social media, using #AlzAuthors. Let the world know you're proud to be an AlzAuthor.

Shop Now!

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Let's stay connected ...

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

Subscribe to our weekly blog

Follow our podcast and leave a review

Subscribe to our YouTube channel

Volunteer your time and talents

Submit Your Book, Blog, or other Resource

Designate AlzAuthors as your Amazon Smile charity

Buy a book (or books!) in the AlzAuthors Bookstore

Join our Amazon book club

Leave a review on Google

Start or join a Round Robin Book Review Circle

Share this newsletter with others on a dementia journey