Wednesday, June 1, 2016

TEDx Talk



TEDx Ubud happened this year on May 28.  TED talks are inspirational and informative whether I watch them on YouTube or actually have the privilege to attend the talks.  I always feel fired up watching people so passionate about their subject.  This year was no exception - only this year I was a speaker too. 

I was asked to speak about my fourteen years of experience as a caregiver to my husband, Bob, who had Alzheimer’s. It was an intimate look at life with Alzheimer’s and how it affects the caregiver.  Mostly we hear about the disease and how it ravages the person with it but there is little in the media about how it devastates caregivers.  A significant percentage of us die before our loved one because of the stress, emotional turmoil, physical challenges, and life changing consequences of being a caregiver for someone with dementia – someone whose brain doesn’t function like ours. The rest of us are changed forever, dealing with this challenging disease.

My dream is to advocate for other caregivers through my writing, speaking and experience. 

The article that goes with this photo can be found at:

A video of the talk will be on YouTube around the end of June 2016. I'll post the link then. 

Thanks for reading!