[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Pages 11761-11762]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               RECOGNIZING FLORIDA ALZHEIMER'S CAREGIVERS

 Mr. NELSON. Mr. President, I wish to recognize two exceptional 
Floridians who have sacrificed to serve as caregivers for Alzheimer's 
patients. Their stories were recently published in the latest edition 
of ``Chicken Soup for the Soul: Living with Alzheimer's & Other 
Dementias.'' The book, a compilation of 101 short stories, has 
previously discussed a range of other medical issues and diseases. For 
this latest publication, ``Chicken Soup'' partnered with the national 
Alzheimer's Association to tackle the difficult topic of Alzheimer's 
disease and dementias and to share the stories of the families who face 
the challenges of this disease. The heartbreaking stories that Laura 
Suihkonen Jones, of Lighthouse Point, and Jean Salisbury Campbell, of 
Fort Lauderdale, shared of their families' experience with Alzheimer's 
were chosen for inclusion from nearly 4,000 entries.
  Today, Laura serves the Alzheimer's Association's Southeast Florida 
Chapter as its liaison to Congresswoman Lois Frankel, and coordinates 
an Alzheimer's support group at Calvary Chapel in Fort Lauderdale. She 
wrote

[[Page 11762]]

her story, ``Fear and Self-Pity Are My Mortal Enemies,'' to share both 
the pain and joy of caring for her husband, Jay, who received his 
diagnosis 7 years ago at age 50 when their daughter was just 3 years 
old. Laura strives every day to be a message of hope, particularly for 
those families who receive Alzheimer's diagnoses at younger ages. 
Alzheimer's disease is growing rapidly, and recently 5.2 million people 
age 65 and older, as well as 200,000 individuals under age 65 were 
diagnosed.
  Jean, a retired Broward County school psychologist, shares her 
personal testimony of caring for her elderly mother, the late Elizabeth 
Salisbury. Her essay, ``The Bird,'' recounts an experience in an early 
stage of her mother's disease. In the middle of the night, her mother 
frantically woke up her family insisting that a bird had flown into the 
house. Those caring for her insisted there was no bird and that she was 
suffering from a hallucination common of the disease until they 
escorted her back to her room, where they found a large black bird in 
the room. This particular incident serves to remind of the importance 
of treating Alzheimer's patients with dignity and listening to what 
they have to say regardless of their disease.
  As chairman of the Aging Committee, I want to recognize these two 
exceptional caregivers, whose heart-wrenching stories will become all 
too common among American families in the coming decades. This new 
edition of ``Chicken Soup'' is particularly timely as our Nation 
grapples with a significant increase in Alzheimer's disease, with the 
number of diagnoses expected to rise to 16 million by 2050. In Florida 
today, nearly half a million Floridians over the age of 65 are living 
with Alzheimer's disease, and this number is projected to continue 
rising in the coming years.
  As we recall our recent observance of Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness 
Month in June and recognize the stories of these two Florida women, it 
is important that we take the time to focus our resources to address 
this disease and remember that an Alzheimer's diagnosis impacts not 
only the patient, but the whole family. As the number of American 
families facing similar and equally difficult circumstances increases, 
we must ensure that those living with the disease are guaranteed the 
best quality care and their loved ones, like Laura and Jean, are 
supported as much as possible.

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