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ALZHEIMER’S AFFECTS THE YOUNG:
76
Million Baby Boomers Entering Golden Years Are at Risk
Alzheimer’s is no longer an illness exclusive to the
elderly. An
increasingly large number of younger Americans have been diagnosed with
this debilitating condition.
Furthermore, 76 million Baby Boomers are about to enter their Golden
Years.
Patrick
Moffett, author of an Alzheimer’s book, is available to be your
Talk Show guest to discuss both issues, Alzheimer’s afflicting the
young and young at heart Baby Boomers.
Your audience will
appreciate Pat Moffet’s touching and compelling story of how his wife
Carmen was afflicted with Alzheimer’s at the tender young age of 53 and
has been in a nursing facility for several years. Today she doesn’t
even recognize who he is.
In Pat’s new book, "Ice Cream in the
Cupboard," he shares the difficulties and challenges facing both
patient and caregiver, especially in early onset Alzheimer’s cases.
With
76 million baby boomers now turning 60, Patrick projects the number of
Alzheimer's patients will skyrocket in the very near future. Patrick
projects that by the year 2050, the number of cases will climb from its
present level of almost 5 million people to a staggering 14 million.
Mr.
Moffet says that the really scary part is that the number of physicians
and care facilities is not, by far, growing with the number of patients
that will need their services.
(More)
ALZHEIMER’S LATEST VICTIMS: BABY BOOMERS & GEN-XERS
New
York, NY: It can strike at any time, does not discriminate when
choosing its victims, and doctors are discovering with alarming
frequency that it occurs sooner than most people previously thought
possible.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association,
approximately half a million Americans suffer from early onset
Alzheimer’s, otherwise known as Familial Alzheimer’s. Within a
generation that number is projected to triple, and the devastation the
disease threatens to leave in its wake is not only catastrophic to the
victim’s loved ones, but to the nation as a whole.
Far more
aggressive than the more common “senile onset” variety, early onset
Alzheimer’s strikes at anytime between ages 30 and 55, the most
productive years of one’s life, virtually crippling the victims and
their families. As the name implies, the illness is hereditary. Its
effects are irreversible, and there is no cure.
Ice Cream in the
Cupboard is the heartbreaking story of Carmen Moffett, diagnosed with
early onset Alzheimer’s disease at age 53. The vibrant, witty Carmen,
and her husband, corporate executive, Pat, went from making plans for
their retirement to living and coping with the dreaded illness.
Eventually Carmen’s disease had progressed beyond the point where she
could safely live at home.
With the cost of long-term care
rising, the indifference of health insurers to the illness, and the
fact that expenses related to treating Alzheimer’s
disease—approximately $100 billion annually—are not tax deductible,
spouses and families find themselves overwhelmed by the financial
burdens of this health crisis. There are social ramifications as
well—spouses are robbed of their partner, and school-age children and
young adults are deprived of a parent.
“I consulted doctors,”
says Pat. “But no one could find anything physically wrong with Carmen.
Worse yet, Carmen could not remember doing the things that rattled me.”
Eventually, the Moffetts found Dr. Gisele Wolf-Klein, who diagnosed the
devastating illness.
“Carmen and I were looking forward to
planning our retirement together, and before long our future was
annihilated,” remembers Pat. “I had no choice but for Carmen to live in
a nursing home equipped for Alzheimer’s patients. Because of the
shortage of information on early onset Alzheimer’s, I was totally
unprepared for this.”
At present, early onset Alzheimer’s
comprises less than 10% of all Alzheimer’s patients, but that number is
growing with the aging of both Baby Boomers and Gen-Xers. “The
‘Geri-boomer’ population is bigger than any before it, and many people
will become Alzheimer’s patients,” warns Pat. “The medical
establishment simply isn’t equipped to deal with the volume of
potential Alzheimer’s patients.”
(Ice Cream in the Cupboard by Pat Moffett; ISBN: 0-9742278-1-1; $19.95;
hard cover;
5½ x 8½; 208 pages; GARRISON-SAVANNA PUBLISHING, LLC.)
INTERVIEW TALKING POINTS
Tell us about your book?
It
is a moving love story, following the lives of two people before and
after one is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s. It is a deeply
personal memoir, but also an educational book for people who already
care for someone with Alzheimer’s disease, or are concerned about the
erratic behavior of a loved one. It will make you re-evaluate and renew
your appreciation for the people you love.
Who will benefit from your book?
The
story is universal. Statistics on Alzheimer’s are alarming. More and
more people will be afflicted with this dreadful disease, including
more and more people under age 60!
What can readers learn from your book?
I
have researched Alzheimer’s disease extensively, from the medical to
the social implications. Having lived through the trials of caring from
someone with Alzheimer’s, while continuing to work full time, I hope
readers will come away with ways to cope and deal with the trials and
daily frustrations.
What is the difference between early onset and the more common
Alzheimer’s?
More
people are affected by early onset Alzheimer’s than we realize. It is a
much more aggressive illness. Many patients die within a year of being
diagnosed. But there is still so much we do not know.
What is the medical community doing toward that end?
Unfortunately,
funding for Alzheimer’s research lags far behind funding for other
terrible diseases, and given that more and more people will be
diagnosed, and at younger ages, this funding must increase. Public
visibility is crucial to obtaining that funding.
Are there warning signs to early onset Alzheimer’s?
One
of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s is memory loss. But because people’s
memories may fade as they age, and because there is no direct diagnosis
of the disease (it can only be confirmed post-mortem), it is crucial
that people are on alert for symptoms of the disease. My book is a case
study of how someone with early onset Alzheimer’s can be
misdiagnosed—or go undiagnosed altogether—for years.
What advice can you offer someone caring for a loved one with the
disease?
Anyone
who cares for someone with a disease such as Alzheimer’s knows what a
terrible burden it can be. Caregivers want to do everything they can
for their loved one, but the stress takes its toll. Then the caregiver
feels guilty for responding to the overwhelming burden. This book
reflects that emotional rollercoaster, and offers solace to those
living the same experience.
Tell us about your wife, Carmen.
Carmen
was a vibrant, intelligent, witty, and beautiful woman. She was also a
devoted wife, a loving mother, and an astute businesswoman. Her story
is, in many ways, a quintessentially American one.
Would Carmen have approved of your writing the book?
I
grappled with this for a while and realized that Carmen always offered
to help anyone less fortunate than herself. I know she would give her
blessing to the project.
ABOUT THE BOOK…
Scientists
have discovered the most aggressive form of Alzheimer’s disease, and
the terrifying news is that it strikes anywhere from age 30 to 55,
proving that Alzheimer’s is no longer just an old persons’ disease.
Ice
Cream in the Cupboard is the heartbreaking story of Carmen Moffett,
diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease at age 53.
The
vibrant, witty Carmen, and her husband, corporate executive, Pat, went
from making plans for their retirement to being separated several years
later when Carmen’s disease had progressed beyond the point where she
could safely live at home with Pat.
No one, least of all Pat
and Carmen, would have imagined such a thing, and the events leading up
to Carmen’s diagnosis are both terrifying and heartbreaking. Just as
frightening is the reality that more and more men and women will
succumb to the disease before they reach age 55.
About the author:
Pat
Moffett is and the author of the critically acclaimed book Fortunate
Soldier, about his service during the Vietnam War. He is a world
renowned, award-winning business executive in Logistics Management. An
expert in international trade, his articles and columns have appeared
in journals, magazines, and trade publications. He is a lifetime member
of the Vietnam Veterans of America. He lives in Great Neck, New York.
Subjects that the author will discuss include:
• How early onset Alzheimer’s progresses rapidly and can strike anyone
under age 55.
• Early detection of early onset Alzheimer’s, and ways for the
caregiver to cope.
• Ways for the loved ones of Alzheimer’s victims to cope with the
illness and how it will change their lives as well.
About the book, the author and the audience:
• The book tells the true story of a loving married couple facing the
heart-wrenching effects of early onset Alzheimer’s.
•
The book is an eye-opener for the millions of Baby Boomers and Gen-Xers
who have the potential to succumb to this devastating disease.
• The book targets the millions of family members who know or may soon
know someone diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s.
• This author’s topic and content are material for shows like Oprah,
The View, Larry King, Good Morning America and others.
Ice
Cream in the Cupboard by Pat Moffett is available now (ISBN:
0-9742278-1-1; $19.95; hard cover; 5½ x 8½; 208 pages;
GARRISON-SAVANNA
PUBLISHING, LLC.). If you have any questions or would like more
information, please contact us at the above phone number and address.
We very much look forward to hearing from you!
BOOK REVIEW BLURBS:
“A triumph of love over human frailty. Pat Moffett offers hope and
comfort to family members of Alzheimer’s patients in this uplifting
story which is a testament to the endurance of the human heart.” —The
New York Times Book Review
“Tragic and beautiful. A tender love
story by a devastated husband that offers a ray of hope to families
affected by a terrible disease.” —Kirkus Discoveries
EARLY ONSET ALZHEIMER’S: A LOVE STORY
It
started with strange behavior—a hostile outburst from Carmen here, a
peculiar lapse of memory there. Then it became violent. The beautiful,
vivacious Carmen Moffett was behaving in ways her husband Pat could not
understand.
Their marriage had been a long love affair.
Together, they raised five beautiful children in Great Neck, New York,
and were looking forward to planning their retirement together. Then
came the outbursts, both verbal and physical, and the forgetting.
Confused
and increasingly nervous, Pat consulted doctors, but no one could find
anything physically wrong with Carmen. Worse yet, Carmen could not
remember doing the things that rattled Pat. Finally, several years
later, incidents at Carmen’s work forced her to another doctor, Gisele
Wolf-Klein, who diagnosed the devastating illness.
As she
slipped away, Carmen reached out for Pat. He was the one she could
remember, even if she did not always know exactly who he was. With
remarkable grace and an incredibly strong will, Carmen accepted that
she was fading, that she would disappear. But through all of it, she
managed to reserve three words for Pat. These three words exemplify the
theme of their lives together, to this day.
“Ice Cream in the
Cupboard takes the reader on the tumultuous journey of one family's
struggle with early onset Alzheimer's disease. Mr. Moffett's soul
bearing account is painfully honest and gives the reader a very
personal perspective of this insidious illness and its overwhelming
impact on all in its path.” – Barbara Vogel, Long Island Alzheimer's
Foundation
ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Patrick Moffett’s
latest book is “Ice Cream in the Cupboard”, about the ravages of
Alzheimer’s Disease, but his also is the author of the critically
acclaimed book Fortunate Soldier, about his service during the Vietnam
War.
Patrick is a world renowned, award-winning business
executive in Logistics Management, named to the Top 20 Logistics
Executives for 2002, and was named Long Island International Business
Executive of the Year.
An expert in international trade, Mr.
Moffet’s articles and columns have appeared in journals, magazines, and
trade publications. He is a lifetime member of the Vietnam Veterans of
America.
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