A Message from President Obama

On January 4, 2011, President Obama signed into law the National Alzheimer's Project Act (NAPA). Once it is enacted, it will create a strategic plan to deal with the escalating Alzheimer's crisis.

They need your suggestions as to what is needed for the strategic plan. Please see President Obama's message here:



There is a NAPA Public Information Session in the Cleveland Ohio area on Thursday, August 25- click here for information. Please attend if you can.

If you can not attend or you live in an area where they are not holding a public session, click here for the Act to Action page. On the right hand side, click on "Share Your Input" and let them know what you suggest.

This is an amazing opportunity for our voices to be heard.

The end of Alzheimer's starts with us!

Blessings,

Rev. Katie

Who Do You Want Us to Walk For?

The Alzheimer's Association Cleveland Chapter created these great "Why I Walk" videos for the Walk to End Alzheimer's which is coming up in just over a month. I love watching these videos to see all the reasons why people walk, and usually there is always at least one person they are honoring by walking. A family member, a friend, a neighbor, a coworker.

I want to know who you want us to walk for. We are walking for my Mom and grandmother and I will put their names on my walk shirt, but there is a whole lot of room for other names!

Tell me who you want me to add to my shirt.  Either comment below or send me an email at katie@movinginwithdementia.com

The end of Alzheimer's starts with us.

Blessings,

Rev. Katie

Walk to End Alzheimer's: Why I Walk

My family and I will be attending the Cleveland West Side Walk to End Alzheimer's on September 17, 2011. The Alzheimer's Associate was kind enough to make video's about why we walk. Please watch this video of me and my son Jeffrey.



Join our team if you can. The walk will be a wonderful family friendly event at Lorain County Community College. There will be kids events, jugglers, music, opportunities to honor your loved one with dementia, and great community. Most importantly, it will be a day filled with hope.

If you can't be there for the walk, donate any amount, $5, $10, or more, to help us raise funds for the Alzheimer's Association. When you donate, send me an email at katie@movinginwithdemetia.com with the name of someone you wish to honor. I will put those names on my shirt for the walk.

Thank you for your support.

The end of Alzheimer's starts with us!

Blessings,
Rev. Katie

Win a Trip to a Live Taping of Iron Chef America!

Part of the annual dinner for the Cleveland Area Alzheimer's Association includes a raffle for a trip to New York City for a taping of Iron Chef America! Anyone, from anywhere can buy tickets and win, you do not have to live in Cleveland, but you do need to act quickly as advanced ticket sales end on Thursday April 21, 2011. Click on the link HERE.

Feed your Mind: A Celebration of Food

Limited number of raffle tickets will be sold!

$20 each or 6 for $100

A healthy dose of great food, fun, travel and once-in-a-lifetime experiences are essential for brain health! What better way to feed your mind, body and soul than A TRIP TO NEW YORK CITY FOR A LIVE TAPING OF IRON CHEF AMERICA!

The raffle winner and his/her guest will join the ranks of a select group who have been invited to an invitation-only, live taping of IRON CHEF AMERICA.

Based upon the Japanese cult sensation, Iron Chef America carries on the legend of the Kitchen Stadium and the famed "secret ingredient." Each week, world-class chefs battle the legendary Iron Chefs of America, including Cleveland’s own Michael Symon, Iron Chef 2007!

THIS RAFFLE PRIZE HAS IT ALL!

• Two seats for a LIVE taping of Iron Chef America
  at the Food Network Studios in New York City!
• $500 Continental Airlines gift certificate
• Two nights stay at The Franklin Hotel, one of the
  upper east side’s most romantic boutique hotels
• Gift certificate to NYC Restaurant for a
  delectable, chef-inspired meal!

Iron Chef America show will be shooting in
July 2011 (exact dates TBD).

Questions? Call Eleanor at (216) 231-1332.

Advance raffle ticket sales will close on
Thursday, April 21.

Tickets may also be purchased at the event.

Winning ticket to be drawn at
A Celebration of Hope on May 5, 2011.
Winner need not be present.

 

Honor a Loved One or Caregiver

The Cleveland Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association is holding it's annual dinner, A Celebration of Hope, on Thursday May 5, 2011. Last year the dinner raised over $312,000 for the cause. Please come to the dinner if you can (click on the link above.)

Also, this year we have started something new for the dinner's program book (which over 500 people see), and the Cleveland Chapter's website. You can purchase a special tribute listing or a business card size tribute to honor your loved one with dementia or to thank a caregiver. These tributes will be posted online and a copy will be sent to you so even if you can't come to the dinner, everyone can see your tribute. This is a great way to honor those living with and caring for this disease, and help raise funds for the Alzheimer's Association. Please go to: http://tinyurl.com/alztribute to purchase your tribute today!

I hope to see you at the dinner as well!

Blessings,

Rev. Katie

Taking on Alzheimer's: A National Conversation at Home- Panel Discussion

I will be part of a panel discussion put on by the Daughter's Club of the Alzheimer's Association Cleveland Area Chapter. This will be a discussion of The Shriver Report featuring local Ohio women whose lives have been dramatically impacted by the disease.

The panelists are:

Jan Culver, Chief Fiduciary Officer and Director of Trust, KeyBank and Caregiver

Rev. Katie Norris, Caregiver and Blogger 

Patti Girard, Former Nurse Living with Early Onset Alzheimer's Disease

Doreen Kearney, RN and Cleveland Area Chapter Care Consultant

Please join us for brunch and discussion on Saturday April 9, 2011. Here is a link for more information and to register: Taking on Alzheimer's: A National Conversation at Home.

Here is a video about The Shriver Report: Shriver Report Gives a Face to Alzheimer's.

What Will It Take?

The Alzheimer's Association Logo

What will it take for Alzheimer’s and dementia to get the attention it needs? What will it take to raise awareness and obtain funding? What will it take for purple to represent November like pink represents October for breast cancer month?

My family and I went to a program put on by The Daughter’s Club of the Alzheimer’s Association Cleveland Area Chapter tonight entitled “A Nation Responds to the Alzheimer’s Crisis.” This was a great program with speaker Robert J. Egge, the Alzheimer’s Association’s Vice President of Public Policy and Advocacy. He gave a compelling and easy to understand talk about how Alzheimer’s is a national crisis and the things we need to do to combat it. He had many great points this evening, and there are a few I would like to highlight.

First he said that we have, for too long, talked around Alzheimer’s and what the disease is like instead of being honest about what happens. He said, “Alzheimer’s disease incapacitates and then it kills.” Until people start to know the severity of the disease, they will not want to work for a cure.

He also talked about how by 2050, because of the Baby Boomer generation, Alzheimer’s disease will increase substantially. (for facts and figures, see my previous post The Future of Alzheimer’s). But, what really hit home for me is that for every one of us, if we live to be 85 years or older, we have, on average, a 42% chance of getting Alzheimer’s. That is if you have no preexisting indicators for the disease then the percentage goes up. This is a disease that affects almost half of the population who lives to be 85 or older. Do people understand that every single one of us, after age 85, has a 42% chance of getting this disease? That is a huge risk, and many of us are living well into our late 80’s.

We also saw statistics for the death rates of different diseases from 2000-2007. Death from HIV has gone down 22%, death from breast cancer has gone down 3.1%, and death from stroke has decreased by 8.9%. However, death from Alzheimer’s has INCREASED 50.6%.

And finally, for those of us who are concerned about the financial burden this disease puts on our nation, if we figured out how to just delay the onset of Alzheimer’s by 5 years, we could decrease what we spend on the disease by 50%.

These all seem like pretty compelling facts as to why we need to raise awareness and put a lot of funding into research.

Most compelling to me though is hearing the stories of people who live with dementia and the stories of how dementia affects the patients loved ones. It is a devastating  illness where the patient looses everything about who they are. They lose their memories, and often even their personality. The sweet father you once knew can become an angry, volatile man who does not recognize you anymore. People die knowing nothing of who they are or what their life was like. That’s why we need to fight to end this crisis.

I am so thankful for the Alzheimer’s Association and all the wonderful people we met this evening who are willing to work together to make a difference. It gives families like us hope and patients like my Mom the knowledge that people care about her.

What can you do right now, right this second? Sign up at HERE with the Alzheimer’s Association to be an advocate and they will send you monthly updates on how we can make a difference.

Blessings,

Rev. Katie