Top Alzheimer's/Caregiving Sites - May 2001
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Alzheimer's Disease at About.com http://alzheimers.about.com/health/alzheimers/ by Beth Creason 1st Place - May 2001 This site features news about Alzheimer's and informative articles about symptoms and stages, diagnosis and treatment, activities, sundowning, wandering, and other behaviors, early-onset AD, other dementias, and much more. There is also an Alzheimer's glossary, a drug index, and a list of the top ten nursing homes for each state of the U.S. Also included are links to personal pages by both caregivers and patients. There is opportunity for interaction in forums and a chat, and subscribers are kept up to date regularly through the "Alzheimer's from the Heart" and "Alzheimer's Weekend Edition" newsletters. There is so much here to explore, and Beth Creason is doing a wonderful job keeping this site up to date and all of us better informed about Alzheimer's. ElderCare Online Rich O'Boyle http://www.ec-online.net/ 2nd Place - May 2001 With a weekly email newsletter, The Eldercare Beacon, the Eldercare Forum message board, scheduled chats hosted by other caregivers, professionals and guest moderators, and tons of information on the site, ElderCare Online is truly a beacon for caregivers. Impressive awards and reviews received by this site include: Alzheimer's Site of the Week at About.com, featured on CNN/Time, in Time Magazine, and in Smart Money. If you haven't already, you'll want to subscribe to the very informative Eldercare Beacon newsletter to keep up to date on all that is going on at ElderCare Online and so you won't miss out on some of the best articles you can read about issues involved in Alzheimer's and caregiving. Mary's Place http://www.angelfire.com/ok4/mari5113/index.html 3rd Place - May 2001 Mary Lockhart has early-onset Alzheimer's. Before she was diagnosed, she had managed a licensed day care for infants for fifteen years. She misses the babies she cared for, but she has three little dogs which she enjoys, as well as having an acquarium, and feeding birds and squirrels. She is doing a wonderful job telling her story on her home page, Mary's Place, where she shares her daily journal, family photos, memories from her childhood, links to other sites, and a chats for other patients like herself. Mary says "This is a very lonely disease. If I can help one person with my page it will all be worth it." Through the Internet, Mary has found friends, and she is indeed helping others, being very active in several chats. It is a joy to watch Mary's page develop, as she adds new and very creative pages, incorporating beautiful backgrounds, graphics, and java. I couldn't help but notice an entry in her guestbook, from her daughter I think, about Mary having a way of turning lemons into lemonade, and I think that's a wonderful way to deal with the Alzheimer's journey, as well as caregiving and any of the losses that life brings us. Alzheimer's Outreach by Marsha Penington https://www.zarcrom.com/users/alzheimers/ 4th Place - May 2001 A totally amazing site, one that inspires awe and wonder every time we visit, is Marsha Penington's (aka Tay, or Taylor Austin) Alzheimer's Outreach. Her informational directories on Alzheimer's, other dementias, and caregiving issues includes around 250 full-text documents. There is a poetry gallery full of poetry by Steven Stoker, Jerry Ham, Brenda Race, and Dorothy Womack, and Marsha has provided Web space for the various works of other caregivers and Alzheimer's patients throughout her site. At the Alzheimer's Outreach site, family caregivers and patients alike have shared their photos, memories, memorials, thoughts, and the list goes on and on. There is so much this site offers, it's difficult to even begin to describe it all. Marsha's own story of her mother's Alzheimer's, along with beautifully designed backgrounds and graphics by Marsha herself, add a personal touch and intensify the sense of awe we feel as we visit this wonderful site. Futhermore, Alzheimer's Outreach is also the large and very active local community service/support group that is coordinated by Marsha in the area where she lives. Locally through this group and around the world via the Internet, Marsha's Alzheimer's Outreach is for so many an excellent source of information and support at all stages of the Alzheimer's/caregiving journey. Stella's Story by her daughter, Margie http://www.geocities.com/stellasstory/ Site of the Moment - May 2001 Margie tells her mother Stella's story on this Web page, beginning this way "This page is dedicated to my Mom who like so many others is a victim of Alzheimer's disease. She had the mind of a scientist, the heart of a saint, the determination of a champion and the twinkle of a true Lady. Oh, how you inspire me!" Margie goes on to outline the highlights of her mother's life and to share photos, including some of the assisted living facility where Stella now lives. Thank you Margie, for sharing your beautiful mother, Stella, with us.
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