Washington, DC – Slow Dancing With a Stranger: Lost and Found in the Age of Alzheimer’s has won the 2015 International Book Award for Autobiography/Memoirs. Meryl Comer, a former Emmy Award winning reporter, producer and talk show host, writes a poignant and deeply personal account of a professional couple in their prime and what happens when her physician husband is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease at age 58. On the bestseller lists of the New York Times and Washington Post, her story punctuates the fact that there are 15.5 million caregivers for the 5.4 million loved ones with this disease that now outranks cancer and HIV/AIDS as a looming public health issue.
“Twenty years later, nothing has changed in terms of options: no disease modifying therapies and no better care choices. Two-thirds of caretakers are women, making this predicament a career spoiler and growing workplace/productivity issue. To make matters worse, we’re getting sick, too,” said Comer, who was forced to abandon her profession in mid-career to care for her husband.
Comer is a current Board Member of USAgainstAlzheimer’s and a co-founder of WomenAgainstAlzheimer’s. She is also President and CEO of the Geoffrey Beene Foundation Alzheimer’s Initiative, which promotes early diagnosis, global innovation challenges and national public awareness campaigns.
A second Alzheimer’s book, On Pluto: Inside the Mind of Alzheimer’s, by Greg O’Brien also won a 2015 International Book Award in the category of Health/Aging. O’Brien, an award-winning investigative reporter, was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's and decided to tackle the disease and his imminent decline by writing frankly about the journey.
“The plight of Alzheimer’s patients and those who care for them are garnering more attention as the spotlight starts to shine on this debilitating disease,” said George Vradenburg, co-founder and Chair of USAgainstAlzheimer’s. “The fact that two Alzheimer’s books have won this prestigious award is very important. It’s time for Alzheimer’s to come out of the shadows and get the attention and funding it desperately needs.”
Background on Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s affects 5.4 million people in the U.S. and 44 million worldwide. It is officially the sixth leading cause of death, but recent analysis shows that it is actually the third leading cause. It is the only disease in the top ten that currently has no cure, treatment, or prevention. Yet it receives dramatically less government funding, industry focus, or scientific study than other less widespread diseases.
The latest research also recognizes caregivers as the “second-hand victim” of long-term chronic disease who often suffer deleterious mental and physical health consequences. Eighty percent of caregivers report stress, anxiety and depression caused by the 24-hour care for a loved one while neglecting their own health. As a consequence, caregivers are also more likely to get Alzheimer’s themselves.
From an economic perspective, many caregivers – who are overwhelmingly female, with an average age of 48 – are leaving the workforce entirely or cutting back their hours, impacting family budgets, and shrinking the overall productivity available to society.
The trailer for Slow Dancing With A Stranger is available at www.merylcomer.com. According to Jeffrey Keen, President and CEO of USA Book News, this year’s International Book Award contest yielded over 1200 entries from authors and publishers around the world, which were then narrowed down to one winner per category.
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About USAgainstAlzheimer’s
USAgainstAlzheimer's is an entrepreneurial and disruptive organization demanding a solution to Alzheimer's by 2020. Driven by the suffering of millions of families USAgainstAlzheimer’s presses for greater urgency from government, industry and the scientific community in the quest for an Alzheimer's cure – accomplishing this through effective leadership, collaborative advocacy, and strategic investments. For more information, visit www.usagainstalzheimers.org.
About Meryl Comer
Meryl Comer is an Emmy Award-winning reporter, producer, and business talk show host with over 30 years of experience in broadcast journalism. She is a Board Member of USAgainstAlzheimer’s and a co-founder of WomenAgainstAlzheimer’s. Comer is also President and CEO of the Geoffrey Beene Foundation Alzheimer’s Initiative, which promotes early diagnosis, global innovation challenges and national public awareness campaigns like the 21st Century BrainTrust™, Geoffrey Beene’s Rock Stars of Science™, and the 2009 HBO Alzheimer’s Project.