​There is always light if only we're  brave enough to see it, if only we're brave enough to be it.
Author Unknown

by Skip Cohen

Lately, at least a few times a month, I've been writing about Alzheimer's. We all have causes we believe in, and the battle with Alzheimer's, having lost my mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother to the disease, is near and dear to me. 

Tomorrow is the annual Alzheimer's Walk here in Sarasota, and along with thousands of other supporters, Sheila and I will be there, along with the pups. And yesterday, on behalf of the Alzheimer's Association, I addressed the annual legislative delegates for Sarasota County regarding three related programs they're hoping to continue and expand in the community.

From my presentation yesterday:

Many of you have been touched by the realities of Alzheimer's and dementia. Over 580,000 Floridians are living with Alzheimer's disease, including an estimated  20,200 here in Sarasota County, which equates to over 12 percent of our 65 and over population.

Florida has proven to be a leader in dementia care and support. With our aging population, we must maintain this momentum. I am proud to advocate alongside the Alzheimer's Association. With your support, we remain optimistic as we propose our 2026 legislative priorities...

I went on to talk about a public awareness campaign, increased support for caregivers, and the Azheimer's Brain Bus which has traveled to all 67 counties in Florida each year.

While my short presentation was obviously Florida-centric, the number of people with Alzheimer's is global and continues to grow. "In the US, an estimated 7.2 million Americans aged 65 and older have Alzheimer's disease, a number projected to grow significantly by 2060. Alzheimer's is the leading cause of dementia, accounting for 60–80% of all cases, with prevalence increasing with age, especially after 65. The disease also poses a substantial global burden, affecting tens of millions of people and costing the economy trillions of dollars annually."  

Whatever nonprofit is your focus, remember that people like to purchase products from companies they perceive as giving back to the community. Combine the importance of building brand awareness for your business with programs that make your heart soar, and you've got the perfect combination to give back. You're looking for your community to be good to you...so you better make sure you're being good to your community.

In my case, I'm not a working photographer, and at this point in my career, I'm no longer very focused on building my brand. Our involvement is about trying to pay it forward and give back to a community that helped us so much, when my mother was in the heat of battle with Alzheimer's. Starting with the Senior Friendship Center's Caregiver Resource Center, so many people helped us keep our sanity and, in turn, helped my mother throughout her journey.

And if you're interested in participating in the Alzheimer's walks, there are over 600 nationwide. Just click on the banner below.

TGIF everybody - wishing everybody a terrific weekend with time to appreciate those people you love the most!

​​

In every Alzheimer’s story, there is also a love story.
Hold on to yours, for it can carry you and your loved one through the longest days and darkest nights.
Rosalys Peel, “Mike and Me”

by Skip Cohen

​It's one of my favorite days of the week, Throwback Thursday. While my post today connects to the tragedy of Alzheimer's, it's photography that counters the pain. It's all those old photographs that make me smile and remind me of all the good times before my mother started her battle with the disease.

The best throwbacks are often those grab shots. They capture moments from the past, transporting us back to a time far less complicated. The fun of Throwback Thursday for me is the hunt. I went back through hundreds of images, often reliving each smile, laugh, and stretch of joy that, back then, was the norm. 

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I'm honored to be a contributor to the Alzheimer's Association newsletter for Florida. The posts I write for them are all connected to things we learned in dealing with my mother's battle. 

These days, and it's only going to become more prevalent, everyone knows somebody dealing with the horrible disease. There are an estimated 7.2 million Americans living with Alzheimer's disease as of 2025. This represents about 1 in 9 people aged 65 and older. The number of cases is expected to rise to 12.7 million by 2050. 

My most recent post is below, but here's the link to the complete newsletter, with not only my previous posts but also content shared by others experiencing the challenge of Alzheimer's.

The You’re Not Alone series is all about sharing our experiences in dealing with my mother’s Alzheimer’s. My mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother all had the disease, so I’ve seen it from all angles. If you can learn from the mistakes we made, then you’ve got room to make new ones of your own. The one point to remember is that you’re not alone.

As Mom’s Alzheimer’s progressed, she became more and more focused on misperceptions. She was like a dog with a bone when she got an idea in her head. In the beginning, I wasted so much time trying to convince her that what she was feeling or thinking was wrong.

My wife, Sheila, on the other hand, would just go along with it and agree with whatever was on Mom’s mind. Then she’d steer her in another direction with a diversion—something to change the subject and distract her.
​

• We were in the car on our way to St. Armands Circle one evening when Mom pointed out at least ten times, “That’s Longboat Key over there.” Finally, Sheila asked, “What’s so special about Longboat Key?” Mom paused and said, “You know, I just don’t know.” That was it—the topic was off her mind, and we moved on.
• On another evening, Sheila caught Mom crying. When she asked why, Mom replied, “What’s going to happen to all my things?” It took seconds to put a smile on Mom’s face when Sheila told her, “We love your things. We’ll take care of them.” Just like that, the crisis was over.
• My mother grew up in my grandfather’s neighborhood hardware store. One night, Mom went into panic mode. Even though my grandparents and the store had been gone for more than 30 years, Mom was frantic. “Dad asked me to lock up, and I don’t think I locked the door to the store!” We just went with it: “No problem at all—Skip’s over there now and just locked up.”

Insulating Mom from the challenges of the outside world also became a necessity. For example, a headline story about violence in the newspaper would send her into a state of fear. The same thing would happen if she saw anything violent on television. Whatever she saw became her reality.

We didn’t realize it at the time, but we were slowly building an inventory of things Mom loved. This became our “happy stash” of distractions for when Mom was most emotional. Coming up with diversions became an art form, and nobody did it better than Sheila.

Here’s my point today: whatever the challenge, don’t argue with your loved one or patient. If you push that button too many times, they’ll withdraw and simply quit talking.

I noticed a distinct difference in how my mother reacted when Sheila came into the room compared with other family members. There was no need for a disciplinarian, but there was a need to keep things on an even keel—with a level of pleasant positivity in our content, tone, and approach to any challenge.
​
The key to it all, as simplistic as it sounds, was love and kindness.

Wishing everybody a terrific Throwback Thursday! If you haven't taken the time to search for some of your own throwbacks, stop what you're working on and chase down a few memories. Imaging is the mortar that holds all our memory "bricks" together. 

by Skip Cohen

​I've written a lot over the years about giving back to your community. You're looking for your community to be good to you, so you've got to be good to them! But there's also a necessary balance: supporting nonprofits and, at the same time, finding a cause that's near and dear to your heart. 

My mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother all died of Alzheimer's. When Sheila and I moved to Florida in 2011, it was to help my Dad with my Mom, who had been diagnosed with the disease. An estimated 7.2 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease as of 2025. This represents about 11% of the population aged 65 and older. The number is expected to increase to 13.8 million by 2060. From the Alzheimer's Association.

Supporting the fight for a cure for Alzheimer's has become my most focused way to give back. Next week, the Florida Alzheimer's group will be publishing my sixth installment of the You're Not Alone Chronicles. In addition, I'm helping to manage the Memory Care Alliance, and I'll be one of several speakers next month addressing the county legislature reviewing health care. 

I'm not sharing what I'm doing to suggest I've found the most noble cause to support, only to remind you that there are so many levels of involvement for each of you to choose from. Whatever the cause most tugging at your heartstrings, it's so important to find ways to give back. While financial donations are always supportive, every nonprofit thrives on the energy people bring to their activities.

Here's my point: there's a greater need for support for your community than ever before. None of us knows what to expect in the future, especially when it comes to health care. And the chaos in the government only makes it more important for each of us to be more involved with local needs.

“It’s easy to make a buck.  It’s a lot tougher to make a difference. ” 
Tom Brokaw

by Skip Cohen

As always on Sunday, I refrain from writing about business or marketing and strive to cover a topic that everyone can relate to. It's my time to share something more personal, and in the process, over the years, it's become therapeutic.

Four months ago, I wrote my first blog post for the Alzheimer's Organization's Florida newsletter. Going through this horrible disease for three generations of grandmothers, I wanted to give back to a community that was always there for us. Here's the link to the four posts as of today, and hopefully, my next installment will be coming in October.

Even though in 2025 there are an estimated 7.2 million people with Alzheimer's in the US and 55 million worldwide, when you're fighting the battle you feel so alone. So, I called the series The You're Not Alone Chronicles.

But as I sat down to write today's post, it occurred to me that feeling alone is universal to so many of our frustrations. I was thinking about the challenges and the state of the world right now. The reality is, with whatever challenges any of us face, we're only alone if we choose to be. Pick the toughest, most frustrating thing you're feeling right now, and if there isn't already a formal support group out there, you'll always find friends who can relate to what you're going through.

But here's my point - you're only alone if you choose silence. Over the years, from personal issues to business challenges, social media has become the mortar that often holds us all together. So whether you're fighting Alzheimer's personally or as a caregiver, frustrated over politics, worried about financial, health, or relationship issues, dealing with the death of your dog, or a thousand other challenges, there are people ready to come to your aid, the minute you say, "Help!"

Wishing you a day ahead that's filled with reminders of all the support you have around you. You're truly not alone in anything, unless you let pride get in the way. Those people ready to give and receive an eleven-second hug are there, but nobody's a mindreader. You have to share the love and ask for help, even if it's just for a friend to be a sounding board and get you through the storm.

​Happy Sunday...or Monday, on the other side of the world.

There is one thing Alzheimer’s cannot take away, and that is love.
Love is not a memory – it’s a feeling that resides in your heart and soul.
Author Unknown

by Skip Cohen

I just had my fourth article published in the Florida Alzheimer's newsletter. The You're Not Alone Chronicles is about different things we learned in dealing with my mother's Alzheimer's. Most of what we learned was thanks to the Senior Friendship Center's caregiver support group. If you're dealing with Alzheimer's, find a support group in your community and then NEVER miss a meeting!

But my point isn't just about Alzheimer's, but about being involved in your community, a topic I write about often. In my case, it's my way of thanking a community that helped us so much during our own fight with the disease. In your case, if you're a working professional photographer, you're a business owner, and you need to give back to your community. People like buying products/services from companies that give back!

Regardless of why you decide to get more involved...it simply feels good. I don't know if my articles are making a difference to a lot of people or just a few.  It's a horrible disease, and if what I share helps just a few readers realize they're not alone, then I've accomplished my goal!

Here's this month's chapter, which ran this past Wednesday. If you're interested in reading more, they're all just a click away, along with dozens of other authors and a mountain of support!

​Wishing everybody a terrific weekend ahead! Thanks for being a reader and joining me on my journey.

When Alzheimer's knocks on the door of a loved one, your role in life changes to becoming either a caregiver or a "supporting cast member." It's not just a change challenging everything you know about relationships, but a complete transformation in lifestyle. Rarely is anybody prepared for the changes they need to make. As a result, you draw from everything you've learned in life, or at the very least think you understand.
 
In her early stages of Alzheimer's, most of us found ourselves correcting Mom. She might say something like "The sky is so green today." While my Dad and I would remind her that it was blue, my wife, Sheila, just went with it and would say, "It's beautiful!"
 
“You’ve got two ears and one mouth, so listen twice as much as you speak!”­­
Author Unknown
 
Even though my grandmother and great-grandmother had Alzheimer's, I was much younger at the time and not directly involved in either of their care. But with my mother, Sheila, and I were on the front line.
 
My mother met Sheila around year four of the disease. For whatever reason, my mother was convinced that she'd known Sheila for most of her life. She used to introduce her to people as a friend with whom she did volunteer work when she was younger. She'd hold Sheila's hand and say, "This woman is such a hard worker."
  
Sheila never challenged anything Mom shared or said, just supported what she was sharing. What was interesting was that there was always some logic in her thoughts…for example, Mom became whatever she watched on television.
 
I walked into my folks' place one Sunday evening, and Dad was in a panic. He and Mom had watched Father of the Bride II. With the scene of the daughter and mother both giving birth, Mom, sitting in her recliner, went into heavy Lamaze breathing. I came into the den and there she was, 85 years old and about to give birth!
 
I looked at Mom, kissed her on the top of her head, and asked, "How ya doin'?" Her response, "Get your father, you're about to have a baby brother!" I started arguing with her, using my best logic, and then gave up. I was there by myself and called Sheila for advice.
 
"Just go with it for a few minutes," she said. So, like a bad Hollywood movie, I sent Dad off to boil water. We shut the TV off, and a few minutes later, the whole scene had faded away.
 
On another occasion, we had all watched a Lakers game, and when they lost, Mom asked, "What exactly do you do for the Lakers?" I responded, "Nothing, Mom, they just pay me to watch!" She sounded almost indignant and said, "Go to the kitchen and make some pasta. The boys lost tonight, and I want to make them something comforting." Off I went for a few minutes, preparing for the Lakers to show up in Sarasota for pasta.
 
With Sheila's help, the support group, and anything we could read about Alzheimer's, we learned to listen without reacting when Mom was "off course". I'm not suggesting it was easy, but the only choice was to go with the flow.
 
One more advantage of being in our support group was the continued realization that we weren't alone. Everybody was dealing with the same kind of challenges, and the more bizarre the situation with Mom, the more we seemed to learn and understand. Stories like the two above became benchmarks on our journey.
 
After one support group meeting, when everyone had shared some of their most challenging stories, Dad said to me, "Wow, we have the good kind of Alzheimer's!" Everyone else's problems seemed bigger than our own.
 
Nothing takes away the pain of this horrible disease, but Dad made the best of it. The stories became crazier, but Dad turned them into something to squeeze out a small smile, always accompanied by a tear or two. There was nothing we could do, but as Dad said so many times, "Your Mom took care of me my whole life, now it's my turn to take care of her."
 
Before Alzheimer's, Dad was never known for his listening skills. In fact, his favorite joke was talking about the secret to being married to my mother for all those years…he always slept on his good ear!
 
He learned to listen to Mom without challenging the craziness. And no matter how much it hurt, he never lost sight of the importance of being by Mom's side.

One of the hardest things you'll ever have to do is grieve the loss of someone who's still alive.
Unknown

by Skip Cohen

​It's Throwback Thursday, my favorite day of the week. But today's post is more than just a look back; it is a look at a new level of hope for the future.

The picture on the right is my "throwback" for today. It's a four-generation shot of me as a baby with my mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. It's also where my journey started with Alzheimer's - all three women, plus a great-uncle, all died of the disease!

We moved to Sarasota in 2011 to help my dad with my mother's Alzheimer's. The Senior Friendship Centers had an outstanding Caregiver Support Group, which Dad and I attended together every Thursday. Those meetings led me to get more involved with the Friendship Centers and eventually serve for many years on their Board.

The fight to end Alzheimer's, including better support for caregivers, is near and dear to my heart. That quest took me on a new journey starting last fall, working with the Memory Care Alliance, a group of incredible companies focused on supporting patients and families dealing with the horrible disease.

Last Saturday, March 29, I was involved in one of the most heart-warming events of my adult life. It was a vision of Dr. Mauricio Concha at the IMG Memory Clinic who asked me, "What if we got all the patients on the new infusions together to talk about their experiences to date?" He's one of the leading neurologists in medicine, and he is totally committed to helping find a cure for Alzheimer's. When we first spoke, he was approaching fifty patients on the new treatments.

We went to work on creating the first get-together of the Memory Care Pioneers, patients diagnosed early with Alzheimer's who are undergoing new treatments for the disease with success. The drug, which is an infusion, doesn't cure Alzheimer's, but it does create a giant "speed bump" and slow the progression of the disease down dramatically. If Alzheimer's is caught early enough, it essentially turns the clock back six months.

(Please remember, I'm not a doctor, and my explanation is a summary of what I've seen, read, and heard so far. If you're dealing with Alzheimer's in your family, talk to your doctor - there are new drugs being developed every day.)

by Skip Cohen

My mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother all died of Alzheimer's. Two days ago, my good friend, Kristen Jensen, who also lost her mother to the disease, shared a post about Alzheimer's on Facebook. I'm unsure where the post started, but it was one of those please-share-chain-letter-type posts. While I normally hate stuff like this, it was so spot-on and accurate to what we experienced with my mother.

I started this post with the plan to share it yesterday, Throwback Thursday. I decided to combine a few of my favorite throwback images of my Mom with my own version of a public service message, which is below. Well, I posted the piece on my FB page and was surprised at the response from so many people. So, I decided to hold off and wrap up the week with an additional focus on the Alzheimer's aspect, and a mini-tribute to Mom, including a hand-colored portrait from around 1940.​

by Skip Cohen
 
With my involvement in the Memory Care Alliance here in Sarasota, I want to start sharing more information about this horrible disease. My mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother all died of Alzheimer's. Being tested for the disease myself a few months ago (which showed no signs) led to me working on a project with one of medicine's leading neurologists.

While Alzheimer's has nothing to do with the business and marketing of photography, over the years, it's remarkable how anybody I talk to seems to have been touched by the disease. Unlike the Kevin Bacon three degrees of separation game, most often, it's just one degree of separation to Alzheimer's with most people. 

Wearing the hat of "Director" for the Memory Care Alliance, I want to share more information on this horrible disease to help increase awareness. I've seen numbers that estimate by 2050, the number of people with Alzheimer's will rise to thirteen million. The main goal of the Alliance is to become a network of companies working to provide the best quality of support for Alzheimer's patients, their families, and caregivers.

With my mother, as Alzheimer's took a greater hold, one of the most fun things we could do with her was to pull out old photographs. She wouldn't remember what she had for breakfast, but she could name every sorority sister from Ohio State! With each face she recognized, the backstories would start to flow. It was as if the events happened the day before, not sixty years earlier.

Here's my point today - take more pictures! Don't just leave them on a card or your phone forever. Photography is about capturing memories, lots of them. They don't have to be milestone events and show-stoppers - but the more, the better. Put on the hat of the family historian. If you have kids, when you are with family and friends, give them assignments as if they were photojournalists. And with senior members of your family, set up your phone or camera on video and capture the stories of their lives while they're still here. 

With the weekend approaching, don't wait to start building or organizing your personal imaging archives. Capture memories now—they'll become priceless in the years ahead.

To put the seriousness of the disease in even more perspective, check out the one-minute video from the Alzheimer's Association below.

by Skip Cohen

​Sometimes, inspiration shows up in the most unlikely places—like the back of a T-shirt! But it was the perfect sentiment at the Walk to End Alzheimer's last month.

"There is always light if only we're brave enough to see it ...if only we're brave enough to be it."

I wrote about Alzheimer's in a post a few weeks back. Losing my Mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and a great-uncle to the horrible disease is a cause near and dear to my heart. It's the foundation for my newest "adventure," working with the Memory Care Alliance to help caregivers dealing with Alzheimer's.

But today's post isn't just about Alzheimer's; it's about finding a non-profit cause you believe in. Between Mother Nature's wrath and politics, the world has become a very scary, at times terrifying place. I know we're not the only ones who watch the news and want to go to bed and pull the covers over our heads!

The one way to beat dealing with those challenges we have no control over is to get involved in something that, by giving back, lifts your spirits and makes a difference. I loved this guy's t-shirt because it says so much in the simplicity of the message - brave enough to see the light and strong enough to help be the light!

It's December and holiday time - every non-profit needs help. Plus, you're looking for your community to be good to you - so you need to be good to your community. You're not just another retailer; one way to stand out even more is to be involved.

​Think about it for just a second - if everybody we know just gave back a little to their favorite non-profit, how much could we all help change the world?