Richard's Hope” in honor of my husband of 45 years who is now a resident of Valley View Nursing Home in Goshen, New York.  I am part of the Valley View Awesome Allies Team. We both had family members who suffered from this dreadful disease and now he has Alzheimer's-- A disease with no cure and no remission.  Una enfermedad que is being diagnosed at a younger age.

y husband went from an independent, self-reliant individual to someone in need of assistance with his daily routines. The challenge for me was learning how to con paciencia dirección his needs despite his constant resistance.  Richard's inability to reason and his determination to complete everyday routines independently sometimes caused a10 minute procedure to take 2 hours or more with no guarantee that the task would be accomplished at all.  

Dan Gadsby, (husband of B. Smith, the famous restaurateur, model, author, television host and Alzheimer's sufferer) described caregiving as the hardest job he has ever had.  

What has helped me is being proactive, accepting the help of my support groups (professionals, friends and family members), volunteering for the Alzheimer's Walk and making a little time for me...Oh, and playing Words With Friends where I can refocus for a minute or two, take a deep breath, and then go back to the task at hand in a calmer manner.  

Today, with my husband in a nursing home, I look forward to visiting daily (weekends and holidays) to feeding him and showing that he is not forgotten and doing my part to make his life as comfortable as I can.  

We must work harder each year to contribute as much money as we can to Alzheimer's Research so families in the future only know about the long, slow, progressive pain and heartache of the patient, his or her caregiver, family and friends from books and stories passed down to younger generations.