First, THANK YOU Joe for inviting me to post on your page! I've been a big fan of yours since the HBO series came out...as soon as I viewed it, I knew I had to look you up on the big wide web.
A bit about me: I've been a nurse for 17+ years and have a very special place in my heart for the geriatric community. I've been an instructor for 8 years at a Technical school. I teach adult students in different allied health fields. After beating the floor for several years, I felt that it was my calling to pass on what knowledge I have to others. I believe that every person living in a nursing home or receiving home health care deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. As far as I am concerned, there just is not enough of that these days. It takes a very special, and patient person to care for elders, regardless of what disease process they are going through.
In my Certified Nurse Aide class, I have my students do a research paper on Elder Abuse and another on Alzheimer's Disease. Part of my teachings over Alzheimer's involves the HBO documentary - The Alzheimer's Project. And you, as well as the others that are and were inflicted with this monsterous disease. In case you haven't been told yet, thank you for allowing your story to be told.
Today after I took the students on the Alzheimer's Brain Tour, I showed them the documentary. I am always amazed at comments the students make. "I didn't know that this disease was that bad" or "What a horrible disease to get". My answer every month is always the same: Yes it is, on both accounts. There is no cure for Alzheimer's as of today, but my hopes and dreams is that there will be... soon.
A couple of weekends ago, I was on a flight to Houston, reading your book when the lady sitting next to me commented on the book cover. She said that it was an unusual picture, but it had a catchy title. I explained to her who you were and during the conversation, she informed me that she has a mother who has the dreaded disease. I gave her your website and I hope that she has had a chance to log on and look you up. The experiences and emotions that you are dealing with IS helping others out here Joe. How can it not? No one knows what a person with Alzheimer's is going thru or feeling unless someone tells us. You are doing that for all of us. Thank you for that.
I will post more in the coming days and as always, I look forward to reading your blog. Thank you again for inviting me to post.
Hug Lynn and hug yourself!
Judy
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
