072 - Alzheimer’s & The Birth of AlzAuthors

Jean Lee's parents were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s on the same day. She was the hometown's daughter, working full time. Her sister lived 1,000 miles away. What could have been a recipe for disaster became AlzAuthors.
Jean's sister suggested keeping a journal while caring for their parents. The result of this journal-keeping was not to eventually write a book. Quite the contrary. The journal clearly described the health issues of their parents.
But keeping the journal, written words describing “private health information” made Jean feel profoundly guilty. In her own words, “Like a traitorous spy, I kept the journal for two years. It became an integral part of our parents’ diagnosis.”
Additionally, reading guided Jean through her Alzheimer’s caregiving journey. Each book, each voice, equally strengthened her for difficult times ahead. Uniquely, no story was exactly the same. Jean makes your caregiving journey easier by telling her story and adding her voice to the choir.
How does someone go from documenting health issues to founding the largest collection of books on Alzheimer's?  Like with most things, it happened in stages. As a consequence of being told by an agent that her book was loved but that Jean had no name recognition, she decided to self-publish.
For example, through self-publishing, Marianne Scuicco (a past guest) started with Blue Hydrangeas. Consequently, after her own publishing and receiving many positive reviews, Jean reached out to Marianne.  Jean felt she was reaching out to greatness and was shocked when she heard back.
About AlzAuthors
Connecting over a shared understanding of being Alzheimer's caregivers is how AlzAuthors was born. Equally important to their connection was finding more like-minded authors with the same goal. Together with a shared goal, they reached out to more authors.
Making a difference in your dementia journey is the goal of AlzAuthors. Equally important, the site is managed by six daughters who have experienced the loss of a loved one with dementia. Their goal is to lift the silence and stigma of Alzheimer's and other dementias.
AlzAuthors write the words that serve as caregiver handbooks. In addition, they are guides through the disease process or a catalyst for much-needed conversation. A new author is featured weekly and receives requests for inclusion from writers globally. Currently, they are 200 authors, strong and growing.The AlzAuthors BlogFeaturing a new author every week, the AlzAuthors blog is a fantastic resource for learning about other caregiver journeys. This site offers the widest range of advice to authors and bloggers in one place.
Regardless of what you're looking for, you're sure to find it on AlzAuthor's site. Looking for books focused on advice? The available memoir and nonfiction titles will surely provide the advice you seek. Furthermore, if you're looking for something different, many fiction titles are available. Equally important are books for kids and teens. Young people have different questions about Alzheimer's, and AlzAuthors has many books that address their concerns.
As if books & blogs were not enough, there are opportunities to meet many authors. By checking out their calendar of events, you may find an opportunity for an in-person meeting.

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