JAN’S STORY by Barry Petersen
“Have the courage to read this book with an open heart and mind, talk about it, and interrupt the silence.”
-Lisa Snyder, NSW, LCSW, Director, Quality of Life Programs, UC-San Diego Shirley-Marcos Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center
Jan was 55 years old when diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer’s Disease. Barry and Jan were living in Tokyo at the time. Barry knew nothing about the disease that was about to destroy their life together.
Jan and Barry Petersen were the perfect couple. Both were news journalists for CBS in Seattle when they met, fell in love, and married. Barry became an award-winning CBS News Correspondent. Jan continued her news reporting in Japan when Barry was offered a job as the CBS Tokyo correspondent. Jan traveled with him to Moscow, Beijing, Sarajevo and London as well. They were very popular wherever they lived and enjoyed entertaining.
After Jan was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, Barry kept a record of their personal day by day venture into this unknown world. For a time, Barry was a sole caregiver, trying to keep his job and take complete care of Jan. What makes this story different from many others I have read is Barry’s recognition of his own needs as her 24/7 caregiver and how he adapted to getting on with his life. Until he reached out to a friend, he had no idea that many areas have excellent community care services available. I will be describing some of our local senior agencies and their care services in future postings
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