Our Mothers' Long Goodbye

By Trish Vradenburg and Congresswoman Annie Kuster On this Mother's Day, we honor our mothers, who suffered from a deadly and currently untreatable disease: Alzheimer's. Trish Vradenburg (TV): My Mother was larger than life. She embraced life with style and grace and passion. She could capture a room just by entering it. Congresswoman Annie Kuster (AK): My Mother was fiercely passionate, and she taught me to care about the issues that really matter -- protecting our environment, looking out for those who need help and treating everyone equally. As a New Hampshire Senator, she was a pioneer for women in

Caring for a Family Member with Alzheimer’s Disease

Editor's note, this post originally appeared on the blog A R E T E In Memory of Our Sister, Mary Ann Morgan, R.N., B.S.N., M.S.N. Our mother, Margaret Lyon Morgan, died of a terrible disease, which some have described as “death in slow motion.” It’s called Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Those who work with dying people realize it is not death they fear but a painful dying. And one of the longest and most difficult endings is for those with Alzheimer’s–and those who witness this process suffer with them, often silently. Our mother suffered with dementia, probably Alzheimer’s before it

Ripple Effect

My books are like a ripple effect, taking me downstream to situations unknown. Recently, our book, “No Act of Love Is Ever Wasted: The Spirituality of Caring for Someone with Dementia” was read and used by Lynda Everman. Because of the book, Lynda contacted me about a new advocacy group open to all faith backgrounds, ClergyAgainstAlzheimer's, which I joined as a founder. 46 years ago our mother died from Parkinson’s dementia with little support, except from her family. Three years ago our sister, Patricia, died from vascular dementia. For many years I was a nursing home chaplain, offering care to

Still Kicking at 88

If Alzheimer's were cured, people would simply age, rather than disappear into the unforgiving vortex of the disease. There are many octogenarians and nonagenarians who age as nature meant them to. Take for example: Warren Buffet, 83, who is called the "Sage of Omaha" and is noted for his adherence to the value investing philosophy and for his personal frugality -- probably because he recently was demoted to the third richest person in the world. Or Betty White, 90, the vibrant comedian known for her expert timing and for never going down on a line. Or Fidel Castro, 88, who

What Seth Rogen Can Teach Silicon Valley About Alzheimer's

For Alzheimer's, the old Dickensian paradox holds: we are in the best of times and the worst. Times are bad because there is no effective way to treat or prevent Alzheimer's, and global rates of the disease are going to double by 2030 and reach 135 million by mid-century. Families are financially and emotionally devastated by the disease, and national budgets are becoming overwhelmed by the disease's extraordinary costs. And even though Alzheimer's is a greater burden than cancer, diabetes, and other age-related non-communicable diseases, only rarely does Alzheimer's receive adequate attention. But times are also good. The fight against