Alzheimer’s Orange County Gala Fundrasier

by Mark Pomerantz

In January of 2018, my father and I lost my mother, Georgia, to Alzheimer’s.  Navigating the effect of this disease and how to best care for my mother was confusing and disorientating as we tried to understand both what was happening to her and how we could give her the best possible care as she inevitably began her end-of-life journey.

As disorienting as life becomes for the patient, so too is life for the family.  Our main goal was to learn as much as we could about the disease and spend as much time with her as we could.  We realized getting help early, understanding the disease, and patient care would allow us to spend more time truly connecting with Mom.  We tried to help guide her to avoid situational triggers and stimulate her mind and memory.

Being active participants in her care helped us cope in a proactive way, spend precious time, and create new memories for ourselves while engaging and stimulating my Mom in profound ways that we may not understand but we could feel made an impact on our time together.

In addition to the countless hours my father spent as my mothers primary caretaker, he and I became students of mental health spending countless hours learning in a trial-by-error method. This was time that we could have spent with my mother.  I wished we had found a trustworthy resource to assist in our education.  Alzheimer’s Orange County is that resource offering a variety of programs to increase knowledge & support for caregivers and patients of those facing Alzheimer’s & other dementias.

Here to serve and enrich the education and understanding of those who have friends or family members affected by memory and brain health diseases, Alzheimer’s Orange County (AlzOC) provides support to Orange County families and individuals through brain health and dementia education, care consultations, community resource connections, Adult Day Health Services,  and more. You can learn more about their services here.

My goal is to raise greater awareness for those who have friends and family members affected with brain health diseases as soon as possible so they can find answers, have someone to talk to, and a verified resource as they deal with their own journey during the patient’s memory care.  The sooner caregivers can get involved in the process of learning ways to cope, approach their loved ones, and manage the illness, the more time they can have with their loved ones.

Fundraising for AlzOC goes directly towards helping both caregivers and patients. This season I have committed to a goal of raising $10k for AlzOC.  We deeply appreciate a donation in any amount.  I would also like to invite you to donate at the Gala level and join me on October 15th at the Balboa Bay Club for our most important and fun fundraising event of the year.

Cheers to 40 Years: A Night at the USO

Join us for a one-of-a-kind event experience benefitting our life-changing support services for thousands of Orange County residents living with Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia. Get ready to swing, bop, and jive the night away with us as we “Cheers to 40 Years” of Alzheimer’s Orange County.

Balboa Bay Resort | Saturday, October 15, 2022