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National Family Caregivers Month honors the unsung heroes of the Alzheimer’s disease epidemic by recognizing the selfless dedication of the 15 million unpaid caregivers: the daughters, sons, wives, husbands and grandchildren, who provide care to more than 5 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s.

While the recent development of the country’s first national plan to fight Alzheimer’s is a crucial first step toward reaching the goal of preventing and effectively treating the disease by 2025, there are new tools and resources available for the millions of families in need of care and support right now. The Alzheimer’s Association recently launched a Caregiver Center focusing on providing a wealth of resources to those affected by Alzheimer’s. These innovative programs can make life easier for people caring for a family member or friend living with the disease:

Alzheimer’s Navigator™

This online action plan helps caregivers and people with dementia identify their next steps, provides tips and strategies and connects to local programs and services. Answer short surveys to help develop your own personalized action plan.

ALZConnected™

You are not alone. Get connected and share concerns and advice with people who understand your unique challenges. ALZConnected is a new online social networking community designed for caregivers and people living with Alzheimer’s.

24/7 Helpline

The 24/7 Helpline is staffed by specialists and master’s- level clinicians who provide decision-making support, problem solving, and education. Call toll-free any time, day or night at 800.272.3900.

Financial and Legal Planning Tools

Putting financial and legal plans in place allows the person with dementia to express his or her wishes for the future. It also allows time to work through the complex issues involved in long-term care.

Dementia and Driving Resource Center

Driving can be one of the toughest issues faced by caregivers. It’s important to be prepared before the situation arises and we can help.

Learning Workshops

Caregiving doesn’t come with an instruction manual, but we have free e-learning programs and more to help you gain caregiving skills and get practical advice.

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Singer-songwriter hits a touching note with song about Alzheimer’s

http://www.alzheimers-illinois.org/enewsletter/november2012/singer.asp

Some ideas come to Derek Luttrell slowly, over the course of a month or two. Other ideas leap from the singer-songwriter’s mind to a fully formed piece in seemingly no time at all.
Luttrell’s song “Some Place in the Back of Your Mind” was of the lightning fast variety. The 23-year-old Rockford resident recalls writing the song perched on the edge of his bathtub – where the acoustics in his home are the best.
“My wife [Jenn] worked at a nursing home where this older man would come in and visit his wife with Alzheimer’s,” said Luttrell of the song’s inspiration. “He’d visit every day and talk to her, even though she didn’t know what was going on. He never lost hope.”
That undying devotion influenced lyrics like
‘I’d like to think that our love
Is the kind that won’t get left behind
If not, then I pray that you’ll find me some day
Some place in the back of your mind’
Luttrell, who began playing guitar at 12 and has been writing what he describes as folk or alternative country music for the last six years, recently performed the song at the Rockford Walk to End Alzheimer’s in September.
“It’s amazing how the cause brings a lot of people together,” Luttrell said. “I was super happy to be a part of that.”
For now, Luttrell is busy playing gigs in Rockford and surrounding areas. A native of Minnesota, Luttrell had to leave a band behind when he moved to Illinois, and is very much interested in playing in an ensemble again. But in the meantime, the musician is concentrating on a forthcoming album and an ever-growing repertoire of songs.
Click here and learn more about Luttrell’s music.

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One Illinois team goes above and beyond in fight to end Alzheimer’s

http://www.alzheimers-illinois.org/enewsletter/november2012/walk_team.asp

September 11, 2001 was a devastating day for countless Americans. But while so many experienced the turmoil and tragedy of the terrorist attack, Adele Knickels was experiencing a far quieter but no less heartbreaking ordeal. September 11 was the day Knickel’s 87-year-old mother, Rose Freda, passed away after 12 years of living with Alzheimer’s disease.
It was a disease that took a toll on Knickels, her two sisters Donna Freeman and Bea LoBianco, and many other members of their family.
“It really is a devastating disease,” said the Barrington resident, who starting noticing changes in Freda after her father passed away. “Every Saturday, without fail, she went to the beauty shop, and she wasn’t doing that anymore.”
Freda’s memory declined gradually and inexplicable patterns of behavior emerged. For the last seven years of her life, Freda kept her eyes closed.
“The doctors said it must have been some kind of manifestation of the Alzheimer’s,” Knickels said. “They didn’t know why she did it.”
After their mother died, the sisters discovered the McHenry Walk to End Alzheimer’s and decided to get involved. Their first year was 2002. It’s now 10 years later and their team, Roses’ Girls, have raised more than $100,000 to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association and its mission to create a world without Alzheimer’s.
The staggering amount of money has been raised almost entirely via contributions from friends and family. Several weeks before the walk, each sister writes heartfelt emails and letters, asking for support.
“People have been very generous,” Knickels said. “We get replies back, saying ‘Someone in our family has Alzheimer’s.’ It has touched so many lives. And now with Boomers getting into the upper 60s – they’re feeling very close to it.”
An avid baker, Knickels also has raised money by making sweets at friends’ requests during the holiday season. What money she receives for her baked goods goes toward Alzheimer’s. Her treats also made an appearance at the McHenry Walk to End Alzheimer’s Sept. 30, helping the team to make an additional $100.
“We get the word out and fundraise so hopefully there can be a cure,” she said.

Click here to learn more about donating to the Alzheimer’s Association. Donations for all Walks to End Alzheimer’s can be made until the end of 2012.

http://www.alzheimers-illinois.org/enewsletter/november2012/walk_team.asp

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Meet our newest board members

http://www.alzheimers-illinois.org/enewsletter/november2012/board_members.asp

We’ve recently welcomed two new members to the Board of Directors of the Alzheimer’s Association,® Greater Illinois Chapter. Shelia McClendon is a director at KPMG, an audit, tax and advisory services firm. Mary Wasik is an attorney and partner with law firm Levenfeld Pearlstein, LLC.
Here, in their own words, McClendon and Wasik share why they got involved with the Alzheimer’s Association and its vision for a world without Alzheimer’s.
“My father looked up at me from his hospital bed and told me he was sorry and he wanted to apologize. I asked him for what. His response was “I must have done something wrong for this to happen to me.” I assured him that he was the best daddy and cheerleader a girl could ask for and that he had done nothing to deserve this.
I can understand how he would come to this conclusion, especially as I watch this disease take so much away from him at a time when he should be enjoying the fruits of his labor. I decided to join the Alzheimer’s Association because no one who has sacrificed and given so much to provide for his family should feel like this. The most important thing the Alzheimer’s Association provides is hope for the future. I want to be a part of that hope for people like my father.”
– Shelia McClendon
“I decided to become more involved with the Greater Illinois Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association after my mother, Florence Prus, died in August of 2012. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s several years before, but other health-related issues caused her to rapidly progress from a mild case of the disease to the late stages over an 18-month period. My brother and I quickly learned how horribly debilitating Alzheimer’s can be. My mother loved to solve a good crossword puzzle, and as her ability to communicate began to diminish, she would try to spell out words to us that made no sense.
What also didn’t make sense was the realization that nothing was likely to slow the progression of her symptoms or provide any cure. So much more research needs to be done to give the millions of people who have been diagnosed with the disease, as well as their families and caregivers, the tools necessary to prevent, cure and eliminate Alzheimer’s disease. I am honored to be able to support the work of the Greater Illinois Chapter through my involvement with the Board of Directors.”

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