The 10th Anniversary Celebration of AlzAuthors

All Home Care Matters and our host, Lance A. Slatton were honored to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of AlzAuthors with the founding members and more.

 

About Marianne Sciucco:

 

Marianne Sciucco is a founder of AlzAuthors and the author of Blue Hydrangeas, an Alzheimer’s love story. She’s also co-producer and host of their podcast Untangling Alzheimer’s and Dementia.

 

About Deb Bunt:

 

Deb took early retirement from her role in the youth offending service in London and moved to Suffolk seven years ago. As well as acquiring four grandchildren since she’s been in Suffolk, she has also built an enduring friendship with Peter. This friendship Peter has given Deb a new lens through which to view her life.

 

Peter has enabled Deb to fulfil one of her life’s ambitions – to be a published writer – and she now spends her time with Peter raising awareness of the condition or cycling insane distances around the county. Without question, Peter has enriched Deb’s life.

 

About Tanya Ward Goodman:

 

Tanya Ward Goodman is the author of the award winning memoir, “Leaving Tinkertown.” Her essays and articles about travel, art, and the challenges and rewards of caregiving have appeared in numerous publications including The Washington Post, Orange County Register, Luxe, Premium Magazine, Atlas Obscura, and Variable West.

 

About Vicki Tapia:

 

Trained as an educator, Vicki Tapia has a proclivity for caring, spending over 30 years working as a Lactation Consultant teaching mothers and babies the art of breastfeeding.

 

When both her parents were diagnosed with dementia (Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s-related) within a few months of each other, she took on the role of caregiver. As a coping mechanism, Vicki kept a journal detailing the many challenges her family faced along the way. Over time, her diary became a roadmap of sorts, morphing into the award-winning memoir Somebody Stole My Iron: A Family Memoir of Dementia.

 

About Dorothy Horne: Dorothy Horne is an author, speaker, and a former award-winning blogger for the Longview News-Journal. She was honored to be named a “Star Over Longview” in 2016. Dorothy is a member of AlzAuthors, “a global community of authors writing about Alzheimer’s and dementia from personal experience to light the way for others." She has served on the board of the East Texas Alzheimer's Alliance and facilitated several Alzheimer's support groups. Dorothy is a retired first grade teacher. One of her greatest delights is being "Dot-Dot" to her four grandsons. She lives in East Texas and enjoys photography and traveling.

 

About Susan Landeis:

 

Susan is a member of the AlzAuthors management team and Board of Directors. She became a featured author on the AlzAuthors website in 2020, and team member later the same year. Her roles include Graphic Designer, Curator of Custom Caregiver Collections, and LinkedIn Manager. 

 

Susan is the author of her memoir, In Search of Rainbows: A daughter’s story of loss, hope, and redemption and she also penned Optimal Caregiving: A guide for managing senior health and well-being.

 

About Jean Lee:

 

Jean Lee wrote lesson plans for 22 years as an elementary school teacher. She had no aspirations to write a book, however when both parents were diagnosed on the same day with Alzheimer's, her journey as their caregiver poured out on paper through Alzheimer's Daughter. After the sadness of her parents decline, life brought her comfort and healing through the formation of AlzAuthors.com, cofounded with Marianne Sciucco and Vicki Tapia. What started as a one-month collaboration has now taken on a thriving life of its own for a decade.

 

About Carol Bradley Bursack:

 

Carol Bradley Bursack was a caregiver for an older neighbor and seven aging family members, all of whom are represented by first-person vignettes in Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories. However, Carol wanted to do more than tell her own stories. She wanted to give other caregivers a chance to do the same.

 

About Christy Byrne Yates:

 

Christy is an expert in navigating the challenges and opportunities in life including living in the “Sandwich Generation” — that time period of raising children while also caring for an aging loved one. Her book, “Building a Legacy of Love: Thriving in the Sandwich Generation” recounts her journey and learning as a working mother of two who also managed the care of her parents, both of whom had some form of dementia. She incorporates meditation, mindfulness and other evidence based mind/body practices into her work to support growth, resilience, and a pathway to living life fully.