Living Your Best With Early Stage Alzheimer’s

Today we had a very exciting show today.  One which I believe will be life changing for many of our     listeners no matter what role you are playing in dementia; be you a person living with the disease, someone caring for a loved, a professional working in the industry or an interested party wishing to learn more about dementia. Everyone will feel the connection and the power they have to make a positive difference in our world and our dementia care culture.  I interviewed three dynamic women on this show: Lisa Snyder, Carole Larkin and Pat Sneller.  All are passionate in their own way about shifting our dementia care culture.

         Please take the time to listen to the show.

[gigya width=”210″ height=”105″ src=”http://www.blogtalkradio.com/btrplayer.swf?file=http://www.blogtalkradio.com%2Fplaylist.aspx%3FShow_ID%3D3124289&autostart=false&bufferlength=5&volume=80&corner=rounded&callback=http://www.blogtalkradio.com/flashplayercallback.aspx\” quality=”high” wmode=”transparent” menu=”false” ]

    Lisa Snyder is a Clinical Social Worker and the Director of the Quality of Life Programs for the Shiley-Marcos Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at the University of California, San Diego where she has worked with people with Alzheimer’s and their families since 1987. In the early 1990’s when caregiver needs were receiving the most public and professional attention, she was a pioneer in developing support groups for persons diagnosed with early-stage dementia. She has since continued to facilitate these groups, research their efficacy, and publish findings on their beneficial outcomes. Her clinical efforts and research has also focused on better understanding the subjective experience of Alzheimer’s thus defying long-held prevailing stereotypes that persons with dementia have little insight into their condition. She has lectured and published widely on the subjective experience of Alzheimer’s and is internationally recognized for her work in raising awareness about the thoughts, feelings, and daily experiences of those experiencing the disease.

In 1994, Lisa began writing and publishing a seminal quarterly newsletter, Perspectives- An International Newsletter for Individuals with Alzheimer’s, at a time when literature on dementia was devoted almost entirely to caregivers. Perspectives continues to serve as a forum for people with dementia around the world to have a voice, advocate for their needs, and share their own narratives about living with memory loss. Lisa is also author of the books Speaking Our Minds – What it’s Like to Have Alzheimer’s (1999 and revised in 2009) and Living Your Best with Early-Stage Alzheimer’s (released in 2010). She is a consultant and lecturer to Alzheimer’s organizations both nationally and internationally.

Lisa is a woman I could personally talk to all day long and I truly believe you are going to enjoy this conversation.

Here are the two books Lisa has written which I highly recommend.

Click the link below for further information on the book

LIVING YOUR BEST WITH EARLY-STAGE ALZHEIMER’S

Click the link below for further information on the book

SPEAKING OUR MINDS- WHAT IT’S LIKE TO HAVE ALZHEIMER’S

SUBSCRIBE TO Perspectives Newsletter
The annual cost of four issues of Perspectives by surface mail is a suggested $20.00
donation or FREE by email.

Please complete and mail the information below to begin
a print subscription, or email lsnyder@ucsd.edu to request an electronic subscription.
Name____________________________________________
Address__________________________________________
________________________________________________
Phone/Email_____________________________________

 You can submit this information for your subscription by:

email to: lsnyder@ucsd.edu

Fax  it to: 858-246-1282 r

Mail it to:  Lisa Snyder, LCSW
UCSD Shiley-Marcos Alzheimer’s Research Center
9500 Gilman Drive – 0948
La Jolla, CA 92093

Carole Larkin, MAG = Masters of Applied Gerontology (University of North Texas), CMC ( Care Manager Certified),  CAEd ( Certified Alzheimer’s Educator), DCP ( Dementia Certified Practitioner), QDCS  (Qualified Dementia Care Specialist) and EICS ( Excellence in Care Specialist)

Carole is a geriatric care manager who specializes in helping families with Alzheimer’s and related Dementias issues. She teaches them about the diseases and helps them find options to deal with problems arising from dealing with the dementias.   Carole is  also is a certified facilitator/trainer in the Virtual Dementia Tour/Experience which screens caregivers in home care companies, assisted livings, memory care communities, and nursing homes for compassion for those with dementia, as well as trains them in communication techniques with those with a dementia. Her company, ThirdAge Services LLC, serves the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex.

214-649-1392          thirdageservices@gmail.com         

http://thirdageservices.com

Pat Sneller  is a care partner for her husband, Lee, who was diagnosed with MCI in 2005 and Alzheimer’s Disease on Feb. 6, 2009.  They currently live in Flower Mound, TX where we moved to be closer to their daughter and her family.  They have two sons who still live in California with their families.

Lee’s mother, his maternal grandmother, and my father all had Alzheimer’s Disease.  Pat’s  mother had age-related dementia at the end of her life.  While none of them lived with us, they moved closer to us as their cognitive abilities declined and we were their care partners for the last years of their lives, taking care of financial, medical, legal and everyday issues for them.  Lee and Pat have been active volunteers for the Alzheimer’s Association both on a national as well as a local level since shortly after his diagnosis.

Lee and Pat were honored to ride in the Rose Parade on

January 1, 2011 on the Alzheimer’s Association/Pfizer float.  

Lee and Pat are right in the middle;

Lee has white hair and Pat is sitting to the right (his left),

with her purple glove waving to the crowd.

They continue to speak and provide educational videos whenever asked, although this will not be possible for Lee for much longer as his word-finding abilities continue to decline.  Their  message is always titled:  There Is Life After Alzheimer’s.   Pat have a BS in Business Administration from California State University, Fresno and have found her education useful in helping to develop programs and to facilitate existing programs and services for those living with Alzheimer’s or other dementia.

Pat’s most recent vision became a reality on June 7, 2012 with the help of 5 talented and dedicated Alzheimer’s professionals when the first Dallas-area Neighborhood Memory Cafe met in Richardson, TX.  Her vision includes replicating their Cafes in every Neighborhood in the Greater Dallas area.

You can reach Pat through Carole Larkin

Join Us in Shifting Our Dementia Care Culture by:

Sharing this article with your friends and colleagues on Facebook and linked.  Email this link to others of interest.  Add this link to your newsletter!  Like us Alzheimer’s Speaks on Facebook, Youtube, and the Radio Show.  Connect to Lori La Bey on Linkedin.

If you know of a Memory Cafe please contact me via the blog here as I’m in the process of putting an international directory together for them….Thanks for your help in advance!

We are all into this together and so appreciate your help in our grass roots effort to raise awareness and educate the public.