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Contest focuses on keeping memories alive for families living with Alzheimer's disease

by jmaloni
Thu, Dec 29th 2011 11:05 am

Family caregivers know all too well the devastating effects of Alzheimer's on the families of seniors living with this incurable disease.

According to the Alzheimer's Association, an estimated 5.1 million people 65 and older have Alzheimer's disease. They likely will lose one of their most treasured possessions: memories. The "I Will Remember for You Family Reunion Giveaway" contest recently launched by the Home Instead Senor Care network can help those families keep their memories alive.

Submit a story in either written or video format about your experience with a family member living with Alzheimer's disease or other dementias for a chance to win a family reunion. Essays and videos need to:

•Share how Alzheimer's has impacted your life.

•Talk about the role that memories and remembering have played in your family, especially with regard to your family member who now has or had Alzheimer's.

•Share specific stories or examples of how you and your family members cope or coped with challenges of Alzheimer's disease.

•Tell why you deserve to win this family reunion.

Entries must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. EST Jan. 31, 2012. Three finalists will be notified by a judge's panel by Feb. 15. Online voting to select the grand prize winner will occur from March 28 through June 30.

The "I Will Remember for You Family Reunion Giveaway" contest's grand prize winner will have the opportunity to experience an unforgettable family reunion. The event, funded by Home Instead Inc., the franchisor of the Home Instead Senior Care network, will include activities to help family members create and capture special memories together, such as a scrapbooking and shadow box station; a memory booth to capture videos, photos or written thoughts; and assistance from a professional family historian to create a family memory anthology.

Attendance of the family member with Alzheimer's disease will be left to the discretion of the grand prize winner. If the individual with Alzheimer's does not attend, the Home Instead Senior Care network will arrange for a local office to provide the family member with in-home care services during reunion activities.

"We hope this contest will help turn some of the negative aspects associated with this disease into proactive projects that will preserve family memories for generations to come," said President and Chief Operating Officer Jeff Huber of Home Instead Inc.

The grand prize winner will be publicly revealed in November 2012, following the family reunion event.

For more contest details, go to www.rememberforalzheimers.com, and for additional information about Alzheimer's disease, including a blog and resources, visit www.helpforalzheimersfamilies.com.

About Home Instead Senior Care

Founded in 1994 in Omaha by Lori and Paul Hogan, the Home Instead Senior Care network is the world's largest provider of non-medical in-home care services for seniors, with more than 900 independently owned and operated franchises providing in excess of 45 million hours of care throughout the U.S., Canada, Japan, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, Switzerland, Germany, South Korea, Finland, Austria, Italy, Puerto Rico and the Netherlands.

Local Home Instead Senior Care offices employ more than 65,000 "CAREGivers" worldwide who provide basic support services - assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs), personal care, medication reminders, meal preparation, light housekeeping, errands, incidental transportation and shopping - which enable seniors to live safely and comfortably in their own homes for as long as possible. At Home Instead Senior Care, it's relationship before task, while continuing to provide superior quality service that enhances the lives of seniors everywhere.

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