Sunday Morning Reflections: Alzheimer's and My "Why?"

I do it because I can...I can because I want to...
​I want to because you said I couldn't.
Unknown Author

by Skip Cohen

I was recently asked, "At your age, why would you want to start a podcast series completely outside your career in imaging?" The question had a certain sarcastic tone, as if my qualifications were being questioned, or, more disturbing to me, the suggestion that I was too old to start something new.

To start, questioning the wisdom of launching a project at this point in my life should have NOTHING to do with my age. Yes, I'm an old fart, but the challenges of aging and especially Alzheimer's are things I've been around my entire life.

All three generations of women in the picture to the right all died of Alzheimer's. Most recently was my mother; before her, my grandmother, and when I was a kid, my great-grandmother, whose lap I'm sitting on as a baby.  Alzheimer's runs in my family, on my mother's side.

We moved to Florida in 2011 to give my Dad a hand. He was 89 and was losing a little more of my mother every day to the disease. It was recommended that I get Dad into a caregiver support group, which is where the Senior Friendship Centers came into my life. Meeting every Thursday morning, we turned it into a weekly event: meeting in the morning, then going out to lunch together.

That group led me to work for the Friendship Centers, where I set up their blog, and later I was asked to join their Board, where I proudly served for many years. Years later, I got involved in other projects, again tied to the challenges of aging, including writing for the Alzheimer's Association's South Florida newsletter.

I suppose my most direct answer to my WHY is simply, I want to! Since moving to Sarasota, dozens of people have helped us through the challenges. Each one of them has had some level of expertise in an area related to aging - from the medical side to elder law, therapy, social workers, and friends. Each challenge has been a reminder that none of us are alone!

Before They Take Away My Keys is about paying it forward. It's about finding a way to give back and being forever grateful to all the people who helped us over and again. Even today, as Sheila and I hit the "golden age," there are so many resources we draw on.

So, the new podcast and direction in my career really isn't new at all. It's about living a life with minimal regrets, one that is fulfilling and, oh yes, "FUN!"  But aging isn't for sissies! At some point, all of us have to face the challenge that we really do have to give up our car keys, but that's why God created Lyft and Uber! However, before that day comes, we thought it was time for a podcast series with a resource that reminds you of the necessity to smile more and bitch less.

Wishing all of you a terrific day ahead. Take the time to make some new memories and expand Memory Lane into a busy freeway of backstories! Go for those eleven-second therapeutic hugs I always write about with the people you love the most. And whatever challenges you're facing under the umbrella of aging, remember you're not alone.

​Happy Sunday...of Monday if you're on the other side of the world.

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This is a podcast about late-in-life choices...from updating your bucket list, to healthcare, issues involving elder law, caregiving, creating a legacy program in video and still-photography...and the list goes on and on. Whether you're in your 40s and caring for an older family member or you're already with us old farts - this is about sharing those conversations none of us have often enough with the people who matter most.