By Sheila Luna, Arizona, USA
Watching a parent succumb to the ravages of dementia is difficult enough, but imagine caring for both parents with dementia at the same time! Unfortunately, this scenario happens way too often. Everything is doubled—from the doctor appointments to the grief.
Losing a parent is a sad event. Losing parents to dementia, a disease that erases memories and cognitive function, happens a little each day, slowly and painfully. The medical community sometimes doesn’t offer much help, except this drug and that drug. Desperate for solutions, people take to Dr. Google for answers and alternatives and ways to deal with a myriad of symptoms that accompany certain forms of dementia like depression, agitation, hallucinations, wandering, and personality changes. When both parents struggle with this disease it can become an all-consuming puzzle and caregiver children often fall prey to denial, frustration, and exhaustion.
On Tuesday, November 19 at 2:00 pm EDT, please join us for an informative virtual panel discussion, “Caring for Two Parents with Dementia at the Same Time,” with authors Jean Lee, Vicki Tapia, Christy Byrne Yates, and Frank Silverstein. They will share their trials and triumphs in caring for both parents with dementia, and offer tips for effective caregiving and coping.
Discussion topics
- Dealing with changing relationships
- Coping and self-care
- Finding grace and love in the simple moments
- Managing the different symptoms and needs of two parents
- Building a network of resources
- Understanding what is out of our control and what we can control
- Juggling caregiving, careers, and children
- Caregiving (or not) with siblings
Meet Our Panelists
Jean Lee
Jean Lee’s parents were both diagnosed on the same day with Alzheimer’s Disease. She worked full time as an elementary school teacher while experiencing the heartbreak, confusion, and exhaustion common to all caregivers. Through her memoir, Alzheimer’s Daughter, readers travel a journey beginning with a WWII romance, through aging and first suspicions to finally her parents’ last breaths. “I wrote the book I needed to read while caregiving for my parents,” she says. Her memoir is a beautiful but poignant tribute to her parents and a source of support for caregivers, receiving the designation of the “Best Alzheimer’s Books” of all time by Book Authority. Jean is a co-founder of AlzAuthors and works as an acquisitions editor, social media manager, board secretary, and a coordinator of the Custom Caregiver Collections. Learn more about Jean at AlzAuthors.com.
Follow Jean Lee
Alzheimer’s Daughter on Facebook
Vicki Tapia
Vicki Tapia also cared for both parents. After teaching somewhere around 10,000 mother/baby pairs the art of breastfeeding, Vicki, a lactation consultant, found her energies redirected to the other end of life after both parents were diagnosed with dementia. A diary written to help her cope with caregiving morphed into Somebody Stole My Iron: A Family Memoir of Dementia. Selected as one of the “Best Alzheimer’s Books” of all time by Book Authority, it has been called a “must read for caregivers.” This memoir is written in a conversational style, filled with personal lessons learned along the way, ideas, and tips for managing the day-to-day difficulties of dementia, and useful information from experts within the field of Alzheimer’s research. Vicki is a co-founder of AlzAuthors and works as an acquisitions editor for children’s books, social media manager, and board treasurer. Learn more about Vicki at AlzAuthors.com.
Follow Vicki Tapia
vickitapia.com
Amazon Author Page
X/Twitter
Facebook
Instagram
Goodreads
Christy Byrne Yates, MS, LEP
Christy Byrne Yates is a Licensed Educational Psychologist, former school psychologist, author, speaker, and coach. Her book, Building a Legacy of Love: Thriving in the Sandwich Generation, recounts her journey as a working mother of two who managed the care of her parents, both of whom had dementia. As Christy says, “I wrote the book I wished I’d had.” She offers insights into the unique needs of parents squeezed between two generations. Combining her lived experience with her professional expertise in human development, and a strengths-based approach to wellness, she delivers content, workshops and coaching to support families. Christy has a master’s degree in counseling psychology, and credentials in both education and school psychology. She works with care communities, financial professionals, estate planners and employers and is a sought-out speaker. She’s a member of the Whole Care Network Employee Benefits and Care Economy Mastermind which produced a White Paper on the Importance of Supporting Working Caregivers. A member of the management team and board, she co-hosts and produces Untangling Alzheimer’s & Dementia: an AlzAuthors Podcast, and manages our YouTube channel. Learn more about Christy at AlzAuthors.com.
Follow Christy Byrne Yates
Website with blog
X/Twitter
Facebook
LinkedIn
Instagram
Frank Silverstein
Frank Silverstein is an independent documentary filmmaker based in Hastings-on-Hudson, just north of New York City. Silverstein’s parents began to show early symptoms of dementia around 2014, which he and his brother minimized as simple forgetfulness. By 2017, he and his brother, Gordon, realized their parents could no longer continue to live independently, and made arrangements for them to move out of their home in New Jersey and into a house with Gordon in Connecticut, where he cared for them with the help of several caregiving aides. He tells their story in the short documentary “Lousy: Love in the Time of Dementia.” He produced the AlzAuthors promotional video, and is currently developing several independent productions focused on questions of aging. Learn more about Frank at AlzAuthors.com.
Follow Frank Silverstein
Website
LinkedIn
How to do great on-camera interviews
Additional Info
This event is free, but donations are welcome. Click here to donate.
Please contact AlzAuthors@gmail.com for more information.
