Peggy Melancon, known as Mother Peggy, got on the wrong bus in South L.A. She didn’t recognize her hairdresser. She kept losing her keys. These were the signs of her illness that daughters Jeanie Harris and Sharon Melancon recognized only after Mother Peggy was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, a degenerative brain disease. Mother Peggy would need someone with her all the time, and Harris, Melancon and other family members would alternate being that someone.
This wasn’t the first time for Harris and Melancon: Their cousin, Lorraine M. Jackson, whom they called Aunt Lorraine, had already been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
Harris, Melancon, Mother Peggy and Aunt Lorraine are emblematic of the impact of Alzheimer’s in America. Los Angeles County — with more residents diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease than any other county in the nation — is the U.S. epicenter of a malady that is harming Black Americans at higher rates than any other group. As more Black women and men are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, more family members, like Harris and Melancon, are becoming caregivers, straining their own health and finances.
Though able and willing to change their lives to support Aunt Lorraine and Mother Peggy, the sisters knew they and others could use a network for both practical and emotional support. So they created Actively Caring Through Sharing (ACTS), a nonprofit group to assist other caregivers. The group meets monthly to share advice on often confusing matters, such as how to best apply for aid from government agencies, or sharing things like adult diapers or even meals.
Outside of those meetings, the sisters take phone calls at any hour to help a caregiver. Harris and Melancon stress the group is for anyone caring for a loved one debilitated by Alzheimer’s who could benefit from what they have learned through their…
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