DCPutnam Consulting Information

I am the daughter of a woman who had vascular dementia. My Mom lived through this disease for seven years following three strokes and died in 1978. I was a nave, long distance caregiver who knew nothing about the disease process. My Dad was not well and had multiple medical problems. As an only child, so much rested on my shoulders and that was tough because we were living 10 hours away from my parents. My husband and I had two young children at the time and I wasnt in a position to travel home to assist either my Mom or my Dad on a regular basis. My Moms situation deteriorated dramatically. She had been a vibrant, active member of our community. Previously she was a teacher and an administrative assistant to the mayor in our hometown. As the effects of the disease took away the Mom I knew, I was puzzled, frustrated, felt helpless and totally overwhelmed as to what to do to help her situation or my Dads. Caring for my Mom and Dad has assisted me in understanding, first hand, what caregivers experience. There are many stressors that caregivers face and having cared for my parents prepared me for the role I now have in assisting other families through the Alzheimers/dementia journey. At a later point in time I was a full-time caregiver for my father-in-law as well, who had COPD. In the late 1980s I became the Director of Education for the Alzheimers Association of Central New York. I was responsible for developing and implementing educational programming for family caregivers and professionals. A number of years later, while living in Grosse Point, MI, I was the director of an adult day care program for Alzheimers and dementia patients. Our program provided a safe haven for patients whose families were caught in the sandwich generationthat is, taking care of parents and children at the same time. From 2007-2013 I was the Senior Director of 10 assisted living communities for Benchmark Senior Living working throughout RI, MA and CT. These communities provide residential care for men and women with Alzheimers ...