May 16, 2011 Issue No. 5

tion

…bringing awareness

one person at a time…

The Memory People Page

This week we have are pleased to share a story by

one of our own members, Nancy Owen. Nancy is a

caregiver for her 91 year old Mother, Violet.

I am a caregiver for my Mom, Violet, 91 years young.

She is in her last stages of Alzheimer's Disease and

confined to her hospital bed, or a nearby recliner

chair where she spends her time watching television.

She does not seem too interested in activities as she

once was but I try to think of different things to

keep her amused.

Not long ago, Mom completed the Los Angeles Times crossword puzzle daily, so I

brought out the Scrabble game, thinking she may want to play with the letters, make

words or ask which letters they are. Instead she just wanted to pour them out of

the bag and then put them back into the bag. I left the room for only a minute to

answer the telephone and when I returned to her room, I saw that her mouth was

full. Scared the heck out of me because I thought she would surely choke!

Calmly, I asked her to start spitting them out and as she did I placed them on a tile

square. All was well and she did not swallow any, thank goodness! When we looked

down at the tiles, to our surprise she gave me a big smile. They spelled out MA

HAPY...One 'P'! We both laughed so hard that my belly actually hurt! Accidents can

happen so quickly, just from something silly, so I'm not taking this lightly. Never

again will I give Mom Scrabble letters! Scrabble Game $30.00. Mom's smile,

priceless!

Thank you so much Nancy, for sharing your wonderful story with us! We want to encourage everyone to share your stories, quotes, pictures, memories, etc. Please email Leeanne with anything you would like to contribute to The Memory People Page.

leeannechames@gmail.com

~Thank you!

May 16, 2011 Issue No. 5

~Special announcement~ Our very own Lori La Bey, of Alzheimer’sSpeaks.com will be hosting a new weekly radio show on Blogtalk Radio. She believes in giving voice to those afflicted with memory loss, and empowering them to live a purpose-filled life. Her goal is to raise Awareness, give hope, and share the reality of everyday life, living with Dementia. Rick will be Co-hosting with her as often as possible and together they will bring Awareness to these diseases through great conversation and call-ins from listeners. Be watching for updates and show schedules on Memory People. We can all support Lori and Rick in this exciting venture to raise Awareness and make a positive impact on those living with these diseases.

The time has come! As I write this article, Rick and

Phyllis June are on their flight to Washington, D.C. to

give voice to the millions afflicted with Alzheimer’s

Disease, and their caregivers. Rick’s passion in this

fight against Alzheimer’s is Caregiver Funding,

which would enable caregivers to keep their loved

ones home for as long as possible without the

financial ruin that millions face in the process.

The statistics cited by the Alzheimer’s Association are staggering, with nearly 15 million

Alzheimer’s and Dementia caregivers providing 17 billion hours of unpaid care valued at

$202 billion. We all know the price that those who care for their loved ones pay. Caregivers

suffer emotionally and physically, and because of the toll it takes on their own health, their

health care costs in 2010 were $7.9 billion. The Alzheimer’s Association reports that more

than 60 percent of caregivers experience high levels of stress, and 33 percent report

symptoms of depression.

As Rick says, this is not rocket science. Let’s keep him in our thoughts and prayers during

this trip, May 15 - 17, so that, as he said, he will “be able to paint them a picture. A scene

from the movie millions of us live day after day. Let me speak the words from my heart, to

their minds...”

May 16, 2011 Issue No. 5

We also want to wish a very

Happy Birthday to all our

members who are

celebrating a birthday this

week! We wish you blessings

and a wonderful day with the

ones you love!

We want to welcome all

our new members to

Memory People. You

have found a very

special family that will

be here for you through

thick and thin. In

Rick’s words, we fight

this fight together, not

asking for a handout,

but just a hand up.

Welcome!

Chicken Soup…

A pessimist, they say, sees a glass of water as being half empty; an optimist sees the

same glass as half full. But a giving person sees a glass of water and starts looking for

someone who might be thirsty..

“I just got off the phone with a man I have never met… and could tell he was indeed at the end of his rope... he was calling me for guidance. Now think about that. This guy owns and operates a multi-million dollar company, over several states, and he's calling Rick Phelps, for advice.... Do you think I had to sit down. This is what I have been saying since day one. There are people out there, hurting, not knowing who to turn to.... Awareness. He heard, He called, We helped. Simple as that. Now let’s repeat this a million times over. I wanted to share that story with you. He is going to call me back and keep me apprised of what is going on...... we reached out, and helped...”

~Rick, posted February 2011

Memory People

Flyer

If you would like a

copy of our Memory

People Flyer to hand

out at Assisted Living

Facilities, Nursing

Homes, and to anyone

who would like to join

us at Memory People

for support and

Awareness, please just

email or message me

and I will get that to

you!

leeannechames@gmail.com