Once I had enough hands on experience, after reading thousands of articles, all the books, and talking to hundreds of doctors, specialists,and Caregivers-- I started the Alzheimer's Reading Room in 2007.
As time went on, I started to notice more and more people, just like me, who were starting blogs. Some of those people decided to use the information they learned, and their hands on experience, to start businesses.
The information that is available to Alzheimer's caregivers and educators is now growing fast on the Internet. This is a good thing.
I meet many people over the Internet. I hope to meet many of them in person at some point in the future.
Occasionally, I meet someone who really stands out. They catch my attention. They seem honest, genuine, and real to me -- they stand out. One person who fits this description is Laurry Harmon.
Laurry and his wife decided to start a business to help the growing number of Boomers that were certain to experience the sometimes "gut wrenching" experience of Alzheimer's' disease.
I asked Laurry to tell me about his story. Why he and his wife decided to start Great Places Inc. These are his words.
Several years ago, my wife and I, mid-generation Baby Boomers at the time, were plunged into the role of default caregivers for aging parents who were precipitously declining from the delightful, engaged, fun-loving people we'd known into the gloomy inevitability of dementia, Alzheimer's and death.
Well-educated, armed with at least average intelligence and reasonable common sense, and completely dedicated to our own extremely challenging professions and our significant personal lives, we found ourselves absolutely underwater, trying to cope with the minute-by-minute challenges we were facing.
Because of this life-changing experience, we decided to devote our talents to bringing the best advice and counsel to our fellow Boomers who are similarly encountering the demands and heartbreak of caring for their own aging, infirm parents.
The resulting website, Great Places Inc, is the product of our experience, intended to be a resource for our peers, offering advice, assistance and encouragement.
Kathy (my wife, CEO of our web-based company) and I are about to assume the caregiver role again, this time for her mom (who I absolutely love!), as she continues her own journey with dementia.
- The best piece I personally have written about the subject is this one: WHEN THE CAREGIVER TURNS KILLER
- One of the best articles I've ever read about it was written by a guest blogger: LOVE LETTERS
Laurence C. Harmon,
Laurry thanks for describing your vision and mission.
Readers if you have the time please visit Great Places.
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Bob DeMarco is an Alzheimer's caregiver and editor of the Alzheimer's Reading Room. The Alzheimer's Reading Room is the number one website on the Internet for advice and insight into Alzheimer's disease. Bob taught at the University of Georgia, was an executive at Bear Stearns, the CEO of IP Group, and is a mentor. He has written more than 700 articles with more than 18,000 links on the Internet. Bob resides in Delray Beach, FL.
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