From the affected many, Hawn Taylor is an example of persons who can testify to the strain and struggles that Alzheimer’s can impact to a family and the community at large.
It started with her grandmother contracting the disease in the early 1980s. Then her grandfather was the next victim a few months later. Her life situation became more saddening and worse when her mother and father were diagnosed with the same.
By the time Taylor was twenty one of age, she was not only the only child to the parents, but also the only grandchild. Diagnosis of both her parents and grandparents from the deadly form of Dementia gave Taylor a forceful caregiving commitment to the folks for an approximate of the next thirty five years.
From an interview with Taylor, she said that she understands what it takes to give intense caregiving needs and when as she watches her dear mother slip away, not even able to recognize her and unable to take care of her most basic needs, she got the motivation to do more. She had to do something to help the whole veteran community.
Her experience with the family gave her the motivation to help come up with Veterans Against Alzherimer’s, which the official launching took place on Tuesday, 3rd October this year. The formed group has partnered with the Department of Veterans Affairs and Veterans of Foreign Wars and aims at increasing the funds allocated for the Alzheimer’s research, give and boost the support that the volunteered caregivers provide and even enroll more veterans from the community that are diagnosed of the illness into the VA.
Taylor’s decision to take part in the creation and concentrate on Veterans, the group disproportionately at risk for dementia, was really personal. Her grandfather, John Gavin was the States Army colonel and a West Point graduate. Her father on the other side is a retired lieutenant colonel and Vietnam War veteran to the States Army. The father’s name is Bernard Landau.
This veteran focused group is a new creation of Us Against Alzheimer’s and is lobbying to multiply research for a cure for the illness. A cofounder of the group, George Vradenburg gave a description to the group as ‘small, feisty and fearless.’
