As a caregiver, you learn the important role you fill when you speak up for your loved one. This talk by Samuel Cohen inspired me. He reminds us that our loved ones with dementia (including Alzheimer’s) are unable to advocate for a cure for themselves. And now that they are gone, I now have the time and space to help answer his call to advocate for those who suffered from this disease.

Honestly, it’s also self-interest. I aspire to be an active grandparent for my children. Because I had them later in life, I will be in my 70s most-likely when (and if) there are grandchildren. If I want to have a relationship with them, I need to know then in their teen and young adult years.By then, I will be in my 80s. Statistically, 50% of us living in our 80s will have some form of dementia if we don’t find a cure. Undertaken.