Links and Resources
Robert Leleux's magical piece in the The New York Times "Modern Love" section gets at the heart of Alzheimer's — the liberation, the alienation, and sometimes... the reunification. Well, sort of.
At its core, this project is based on a seemingly simple premise: people remember lines from poems from their childhood. And, if you read some of these poems to people with Alzheimer's, their memories will be sparked. An idea very much in line with Dienstag and DeLillo's writing group. This site has plenty of resources, and has even compiled a book containing some of these classics to spark your own memory project.
The Alzheimer's Association is a nonprofit organization with chapters across the United States offering extensive information about Alzheimer's care, support, and research. They have a toll-free 24/7 helpline where you can seek referrals and support in multiple languages: 800-272-3900.
StoryCorps launched a special initiative aimed at supporting and encouraging people with memory loss to share their stories, in sound.
David Shenk's book was the inspiration for an Emmy-award winning PBS documentary of the same title. The site for the documentary provides additional links including first-person stories, strategies for coping with the illness, and resources for caregivers.
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