With both National Alzheimer's Awareness Month and National Family Caregiver Month approaching, Brandon Burke is releasing his first book, Rediscovering Dad & Discovering Myself: A Journey Through the Impact of Alzheimer’s. The six-year Alzheimer’s advocate and caregiver shares his father-son relationship, family history and journey leading up to the diagnosis that has changed his life.
Through the diagnosis of his beloved grandmother, Maryland native Brandon Burke saw the effects of Alzheimer’s disease, specifically the havoc it wreaks on the diagnosed and the interruption of life it causes for caregivers. Although, he never dreamed how that would shape his adult life. In 2015, Brandon was faced with the realities of Alzheimer’s disease front and center when his father was diagnosed.
Known for their Caregiving advocacy, AARP May 2020 research reports that, “Today, more than 1 in 5 Americans (21.3 percent) are caregivers, having provided care to an adult or child with special needs at some time in the past 12 months. This totals an estimated 53.0 million adults in the United States, up from the estimated 43.5 million caregivers in 2015.”
The question on the floor stands, who will care for the caregiver? Brandon hopes that his book serves as a blueprint to help other caregivers maneuver attending to their loved ones and not forgetting about themselves.
“I believe that sharing our stories is our superpower. You never know how your story can impact the life of someone else until you share it. It is my hope that this book will shed light on the role of caregivers and provide a path for them to follow, bring more awareness to the world about the effects of Alzheimer’s disease, and highlight the bond between father and son,” says Brandon.
