Charlotte, N.C. — Over 150 authors from across the country who write about Alzheimer’s and dementia will be represented this August at the 2018 Alzheimer’s Association Dementia Education Conference in Charlotte, N.C. AlzAuthors.com, a nonprofit organization, and the Alzheimer’s Association – Western Carolina Chapter are teaming up to share resources in a way that’s never been done before.
Two AlzAuthors, Jean Lee of Litchfield, Ohio, and Ann Campanella of Huntersville, N.C., will present “The Story Behind the Stories” during a breakout session of the conference. These memoir writers have personal experience as caregivers for family members with Alzheimer’s disease.
“Both of my parents were diagnosed on the same day,” says Lee, the author of Alzheimer’s Daughter. She shares her parents’ love story and the challenges she faced caring for them.
Campanella’s memoir, Motherhood: Lost and Found, tells the story of her mother’s descent into dementia when Ann was 33 years old and trying to become a parent herself. “It was the most difficult time of my life,” says Campanella.
Lee and Campanella will also present the history of AlzAuthors, including how founders Lee, Marianne Sciucco of New York and Vicki Tapia of Montana connected through cyberspace to fill a need and eventually added Canadian Kathryn Harrison and Campanella to their administrative team. In addition, they will provide information about the wide variety of bestselling and award-winning books that are part of their site.
AlzAuthors Mary Ann Drummond, who has written the caregiver guide, Meet Me Where I Am, and a children’s book, Grandma & Me; Frank Morelli, the author of the young adult novel No Sad Songs, and Barbara Ivey, whose blog, The Perfect Thing, is about dementia, will be joining Lee and Campanella at the AlzAuthors’ book table.
“We have books of all kinds – memoirs, novels, caregiver guides, books for young people, poetry and more,” says Campanella. Books will be for sale, and our authors have donated over 20 books to be raffled off to conference attendees.
“We have books that speak to each person’s journey with dementia, even those who have been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s,” says Lee.
“Together We Can,” the Dementia Education Conference held by the Alzheimer’s Association – Western Carolina Chapter, will take place on Wednesday, Aug. 29, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.at the Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, 3400 Beatties Ford Road in Charlotte The event is geared for healthcare professionals, caregivers, people living with Alzheimer’s or related dementia and members of the general public. Attendees will learn more about research, caregiving practices and tools to assist in the journey with Alzheimer’s. For more information, visit ALZ.org/NorthCarolina or call 800-272-3900.
For more information about AlzAuthors. visit their website: https://alzauthors.com/
About the Alzheimer’s Association – Western Carolina Chapter: The Western Carolina Chapter provides patient and family services, information and referral, education, and advocacy in the 49 central and western North Carolina counties that serves over 110,000 people currently living with Alzheimer’s disease and their 330,000 caregivers in these counties. We provide a variety of services including a 24/7 Helpline, support groups, educational programs, and MedicAlert®. We offer opportunities to get involved and to make a difference. For more information about Alzheimer’s disease or the Alzheimer’s Association Western Carolina Chapter, visit www.alz.org/northcarolina or call (800) 272-3900. For the latest news and updates, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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