Meet Alzheimer’s Orange County Advocate Marty Schwartzman

Former caregiver enjoys giving back to the nonprofit that helped him 

Marty Schwartzman knows all too well that Alzheimer’s is a family disease. In what amounted to a devasting one-two punch, his mother’s dementia diagnosis in the early 2000s was quickly followed by that of his wife, though she was only in her 60s. 

When first confronted with the disease, he and his family sought out any information they could find and discovered the organization that later became Alzheimer’s Orange County. (AlzOC). 

“I was dealing with the administration (of care) and figuring out how to care for them best and that was a rude awakening,” he recalls. “I needed help. It was a wonderful opportunity to know I could pick up the phone and talk to a kind ear. Someone who knew where I could go for assistance if I needed to.” 

Reflecting back on those difficult days, Marty said he felt like a boxer in the ring. AlzOC was his corner man acting as an advisor and providing support.  

Later, after his loved ones lost their valiant battles with the disease, he transitioned from caregiver to advocate, seeing it as an opportunity to give back to the organization that was so helpful to him.   

He joined an AlzOC advocacy group and accompanied others on trips to Sacramento and Washington, D.C. to present their case to lawmakers. On one particular occasion, the group attended a meeting with former Rep. Ed Royce, who then represented California’s 39th Congressional District.   

Unlike in previous meetings, in addition to his staff, Royce was in attendance and very interested in what the AlzOC group had to say. They discussed the Alzheimer’s Breakthrough Act of 2011 (H.R. 1897) that sought to advance breakthrough treatments for people living with Alzheimer’s by requiring a federal commitment to Alzheimer’s disease research. He asked many questions about the disease and the organization. Turned out that his father had recently been diagnosed with dementia. 

 “Alzheimer’s is something that many families have to face head on.  We’re going to solve this and AlzOC is a key element in the battle.”