AlzAuthors is a global community of authors writing about Alzheimer’s and other dementias from personal experience. They began in 2015, when co-founders Marianne Sciucco, Jean Lee, and Vicki Tapia became friends on social media after publishing books based on their own adventure with dementia.
A year later, they created a blog, AlzAuthors.com, carefully vetting and consolidating resources from other authors to support people whose lives were impacted by memory impairment. That first year, the non-profit organisation created for caregivers by caregivers, recruited more than 60 ‘AlzAuthors’. Today they have almost 400 author members on six continents. I feel privileged to be one of them.
Just about every genre is represented in the AlzAuthors collection: memoirs, caregiver guides, poetry, and fiction for all age groups. A visitor to their website can search for information by book genre, relationship, or diagnosis. For example, you can search ‘memoirs on caring for a spouse or partner with early onset dementia’. Authors of this expansive library include well-known writers and personalities like Patti Callahan Henry, Patti Davis, Ann Garvin, Maria Shriver, and Lisa Wingate, but the majority of authors are former and current caregivers who simply want to share their personal stories to provide insight and encouragement to others.
While published books remain at the heart of the AlzAuthors platform, the organisation has expanded its scope and reach through a podcast with almost 150,000 downloads, a YouTube channel, a monthly book club, and topic-specific free online events. Caregiver booklets and tip sheets are also offered at no charge. Custom Caregiver Collections — small, curated libraries that provide information to families and caregiving facilities — are available for purchase.
Most exciting of all, is that this year, AlzAuthors has launched a tenth anniversary campaign to commemorate a decade of empowering those living with dementia and their caregivers. The virtual program will include a film festival, podcasts, book giveaways, book group discussions, author videos, a poetry reading, and other activities designed to inspire, educate and raise awareness of the wide-ranging and easily accessible support available via the AlzAuthors platform.
For further information on AlzAuthors and its schedule of tenth anniversary events, go to www.AlzAuthors.com and sign up for their bi-weekly newsletter.
You can also connect with them on social media:
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