James Russell is a man caring for his daughter with early onset Alzheimer’s in assisted living. Lynn was diagnosed in 2017 at the age of 51. She represents the fourth generation of the Russell family affected by dementia. In the early days of her diagnosis, Jim, her dad, and her mother, Karen, relocated from their home to be closer to Lynn, and to assist with the care of her three growing sons. Eventually, Karen succumbed to cancer and Jim carried on, moving to an apartment two blocks from Lynn so he can be involved daily in her life. He tells their story on his blog, Nevertheless Dementia, We Persist, where he recounts the daily struggles, joys, and epiphanies of life with Alzheimer’s.
In many ways, Lynn’s condition has brought them closer together, especially as Jim is researching and writing a memoir about their experience which has allowed him to enter parts of his daughter’s life he had not ventured into before. His research has given him the privilege of interviewing many of her friends and work colleagues across her lifespan and he now sees his daughter in a whole new light, appreciating accomplishments he knew nothing of and seeing her through others’ eyes.
In this episode, we discuss the wonders of the village that emerged to help him care for Lynn, how he goes about documenting her life, and how we can support someone in assisted living.
Read James’ AlzAuthors Post
https://alzauthors.com/2020/09/10/james-russell-blogger-younger-onset-alzheimers/
Start reading Nevertheless Dementia We Persist now!
https://neverthelessdementiawepersist.com/
Connect with Jim
Jim on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/james.s.russell.3
Twitter: https://twitter.com/james_s_russell
Connect with Lynn
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lynneru
Find Jim’s COVID-19 Videos of Support here: https://alzauthors.com/covid-19/
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Thank you for listening.
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