New Spouse Caregiver Memoir by Paula de Ronde

May 30, 2023 8:32 pm

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Hello ,


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As I approach summer of 2023, I feel like I’m finally peeking out of my pandemic shell. 


During the past 3 years, I’ve tried to remain involved with family, attend church, travel a bit, and keep up with life. Some of these things were overshadowed by obtaining negative Covid testing.


Personally, I’m so thankful for our passion project of AlzAuthors. We were not limited by the pandemic at all. In fact, we’ve continued to thrive beyond our expectations. We’ve always done our AlzAuthors work remotely, so Zoom and our Slack workspace were the spaces where we continued our growth and felt comfortable. Through this work, I’ve learned many new skill sets. Coming to know our 350+ authors and elevating their work has been a dream come true.


Many of you are actively caregiving for loved ones and working full time. My heart goes out to you and I can’t imagine the stamina you’ve needed for this consuming task, especially during the pandemic.


But now as the pandemic is easing, I’m poking my head out of my shell and am ready to re-engage in the bigness and opportunities of life again. What are opportunities awaiting you? Maybe I'll volunteer at my local food bank or work at a resale thrift shop. (That would help me clean out my own house!)


What are you doing to re-engage with life? Whatever we do, let's celebrate our ability to give back and do something good for others.


All of our authors have taken the bold step of doing something good for others by sharing their stories with those whose lives have been impacted by Alzheimer's and dementia.


With that, I encourage you to engage with our most recent author.


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Our Most Recent Author

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Paula de Ronde, a retired librarian from Ontario, Canada, was thrown into a spouse caregiver role for her beloved husband, Bert. As a result of her powerful journey she wrote My Bert Has Alzheimer's. We guarantee your heart will be touched as you learn about their intimate journey.


Paula shares: I was uninformed but not for long as my life, career and advocacy interests all seemed to converge with the diagnosis. Writing became my therapy and a major self-care issue as I stumbled through the highs and lows of caring for my beloved husband who was slowly losing his personhood under the onslaught of the dreaded disease.

I recorded as I learnt and needed to share. I wanted to pass on all that I was experiencing to my new community of fellow caregivers, my companions on this unfamiliar road.

I rebelled at the stigma associated with Dementia acknowledging that this was the real ignorance that manifested itself in such negativity. I wanted to scream: “It’s a disease! He’s not crazy!”


Read more here


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On the Podcast

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Environmental factors, such as exposure to toxic substances, can contribute to cognitive decline, potentially leading to dementia. These toxins can cause harm to brain cells and disrupt their normal functioning, negatively impacting an individual's memory and cognitive abilities. As more research emerges about the potential links between toxicity and dementia, its important for caregivers and those affected by dementia to stay informed about the latest scientific discoveries. This knowledge may offer new solutions for preventive care, treatment, and management of the disease. During her discussion with Marianne Sciucco, Sandra Strauss shared her personal experiences dealing with her husband's dementia. She reveals how years of misdiagnoses eventually led to the discovery that her husband's condition was, in fact, Lewy Body dementia, partly influenced by environmental factors. Strauss emphasizes the importance of finding answers and understanding the potential sources of cognitive decline, such as exposure to toxins, in order to better manage and potentially even reverse the disease in some cases.


Start ListenIng!


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New booklet of resources!

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AlzAuthors brings our author's books into the hands of real people in real places with Custom Caregiver Collections. These beautiful resources offer comfort and support to those on the dementia journey. Perfect for senior communities, care homes, support groups, and more. Order your collection today!


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June is Alzheimer's & Brain Awareness Month. AlzAuthors shares stories and resources, raising awareness and honoring those facing Alzheimer's disease with strength, courage and hope. 


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AlzAuthors is so excited to announce that our friends, Lance A. Slatton at All Home Care Matters and Lori La Bey of Alzheimer's Speaks, have partnered to produce a new once a month show to (in their words) help combat, inform, educate, and advise people dealing with everything we all eventually have to deal with - growing old.


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Read about Conscious Caregiving with L and L


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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:


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Thank you for supporting our mission to connect caregivers with resources.

 

Your Management Team

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L to R: Marianne Sciucco, Jean Lee, Vicki Tapia, Kathryn Harrison,

Ann Campanella and Susan Landeis.


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