A Letter from Our President

Dear Friends,

As we enter May, we enter a month that celebrates moms. Mother’s Day is a holiday that can often bring mixed emotions for a lot of individuals. While many of us are fortunate to celebrate with our Moms, some of us celebrate with a mom who is struggling with dementia or has passed away as a result of it. The memory of the Mom who loved us unconditionally may be all that remains as Alzheimer’s robs her of that amazing person she was. It isn’t fair. In fact, this disease is downright cruel. So, a holiday that turns the spotlight on our moms can also spotlight the heartache associated with dementia.

The Alzheimer’s Association Greater Pennsylvania Chapter is familiar with the struggle to find the joy in a day that can be difficult on you as the family member and often the caregiver.  We offer the following tips when commemorating this day:

• Choose the time of day carefully: Many people with Alzheimer’s experience Sundowner’s syndrome which means that they become less lucid later in the day and into the evening hours.  If this is true for your mom, brunch would be a better choice than dinner.

• Plan activities for everyone: Singing songs from long ago is a favorite past time for many adults with dementia.  Pop in a cd and your mom might sing along!  Or, if you’ve got little ones who like to paint, have everyone participate.  People with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia often enjoy painting.  It’s like riding a bike…people never forget how.   It also allows them to tap into and use the creative side of their brain.

• Join in her reality: Often, people with dementia can become agitated if they’re challenged, and that doesn’t create a warm, fuzzy, holiday feeling.  So if your mom thinks she just got back from Europe, instead of trying to tell her that was a long time ago, ask what she liked best about her trip.

• Use bright colors for decorations: Brighter colors are easier for older adults to see, so if you’re picking up flowers or balloons, choose bright, vibrant colors.

We also want you to know there are ways you can help us in this battle against the disease. Right now, the greatest obstacle to finding treatments to slow down, prevent and even cure Alzheimer’s and related dementias is the lack of clinical trial participants. People with Alzheimer’s, caregivers and healthy volunteers are all needed today to participate in Alzheimer’s and dementia research.

Visit TrialMatch online.

65 percent of the people currently living with Alzheimer's are women, and clearly, that means many of our mothers are affected by this disease. But we are not resigned to giving up this fight to see our vision – a world without Alzheimer’s-realized.  If you want to help achieve that goal and at the same time, honor your mom with a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association.

To all the moms out there, Happy Mother’s Day. And to those whose mother’s presence lives in our memories, I hope you find comfort in remembering a mom’s hug lasts long after she lets go.

Gail Roddie-Hamlin, MPH, CHES
President & CEO

To learn more about this event and how you can make a difference by becoming a table host, contact Estella Parker Killian at ekillian@alz.org or 570.822.9915.

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