Dear Friend,

      The Alzheimer’s Association, Northwest Ohio Chapter served more than 10,000 people last year, including my family.  Our family is an Alzheimer’s family.  Yes, all of us.  Dad, mom, six children, ten grandchildren, three great-grandchildren.  Only one of us (my husband, Dean) actually has the disease, but every person in our family is touched by it, even those living hundreds of miles away.  And we all know where to turn as we need help – to the Alzheimer’s Association.

     For Dean and me, our first step in dealing with the disease was to learn to acknowledge the “elephant in the room.”  At the Alzheimer’s Association’s early stage meetings, our frank discussions opened the way for us to share, openly, what was going on and what the future held.  They paved the way for us to deal with what was to come.

     Over the next few years, as the disease progressed, we attended Alzheimer’s Association meetings regularly.  In addition, we took advantage of several free workshops that gave both of us new insights into ways to cope.  We were in this struggle as a team:  The Alzheimer’s Association, Northwest Ohio Chapter, was our coach and we worked together to make life as good as it could possibly be for us, at every stage.

     Today, Dean is in a nursing home and I am no longer the primary caregiver. However, I continue to attend workshops and regular monthly meetings offered by the Alzheimer’s Association, Northwest Ohio Chapter, as they are still the support for us.

    But the Alzheimer’s Association, Northwest Ohio Chapter, is only as strong as the community that supports it.  We need to ensure that the Association continues to offer free programs for those physically struggling with the challenges of living every day with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias and for the people like me, who love them.

    There are 32,000 people in northwest Ohio who have Alzheimer’s disease.  Some are in the early stage and their families are still acknowledging that “elephant in the room.”  Some are in the difficult later stages where basic living is a day-to-day challenge. 
 
     Your generous financial support through this year-end appeal is needed now more than ever.  The rate of Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis is on a rapid incline as Alzheimer’s disease has moved to the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. 

     On behalf of our family, thank you for supporting your Alzheimer’s Association, Northwest Ohio Chapter.  Their programs, services and supportive staff improve the quality of life for all of us, who continue the struggle with Alzheimer’s disease.

 Respectfully,  

  Joanne Niswander, Bluffton, Ohio
  Alzheimer’s Association, Northwest Ohio Chapter, Support Group Leader

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To make a tax-deductible donation, please print and complete this form and send it with your check to:
Alzheimer's Association, Northwest Ohio Chapter
2500 N. Reynolds Road
Toledo, Ohio 43615
please mark "year-end appeal" on your check