USA2 SPOTLIGHT

An October 15, 2019 The Hill opinion piece, co-written by LatinosAgainstAlzheimer’s Lead Jason Resendez, focused on the crucial need for Latinos to have workplace flexibility or paid family leave benefits. Nearly half of Latino workers do not have access to any form of paid leave, which is a major challenge for the 10 million millennial caregivers in the U.S., and especially for those caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease. According to the piece, “Without access to flexible work policies like paid family leave, workers find themselves in untenable circumstances when faced with caregiving challenges. They cannot meet caregiving responsibilities while working, but cannot afford to take time off.”

DEMENTIA AND THE ARTS

A Vanishing in Plain Site blog post by photographer Olivia Parker weaves us through her project, “A Journey into Alzheimer’s,” depicting her husband, John’s, experience with the disease. Parker builds the project around imagining, “…What his mind saw in many situations. Sometimes he seemed to be in the middle of a dream, at others he was in a waking rage. This project has expanded to include… the houseflies that drove him wild, his hallucinations, his fears, other aspects of a world he was gradually leaving behind, and his changing perceptions of our family.” Parker wrote, “I cannot know exactly what he saw in his mind. All I can do is imagine what I think could have been going on and leave it as a starting point to talk about a dreadful disease.”

YOUTH FOCUS

An October 14, 2019 Philadelphia Magazine article spotlighted St. Joseph's University senior Ethan Widrig, who is running “100 Days of 5Ks” to honor his grandmother. According to the article, “Widrig’s endeavor is both altruistic and deeply personal, as he is running to raise awareness and research funds for finding a cure to Alzheimer’s… “I think the hardest part about Alzheimer’s is that their [those with Alzheimer’s] condition deteriorates over time,” Widrig says, suggesting that the disease makes grieving that much more difficult. Though busy with his senior-year course load, Widrig has no intention of stopping until he reaches day 100 on December 3rd.”

CAREGIVING CORNER

An October 10, 2019 Kaiser Health News article highlighted the National Volunteer Care Corps, which aims to mobilize volunteers to help older adults age in place. According to the article, “If it’s successful, healthy retirees and young adults would take seniors to doctor appointments, shop for groceries, shovel snowy sidewalks, make a bed or mop the floor, or simply visit a few times a week. Older adults would not only get a hand with household tasks, but also companionship and relief from social isolation. And family caregivers could get a break. Younger volunteers might get class credit at a community college or small stipends. Older volunteers could enjoy a satisfying sense of purpose.”