SPOTLIGHT: THE HEART OF SENIOR LIVING
Making a Diff erence Why George Vradenburg of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s wants everyone to “Be Trish.”
By Cynthia Helzel A
s a writer for popular television comedies including “Designing Women” and “Family Ties,” Trish
Vradenburg knew how to fi nd creative inspira- tion in life’s diffi culties. She applied the same skill to real life after her mother, Bea Lerner, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. First through a semi-autobiographical
play and later through co-founding the nonprofi t UsAgainstAlzheimer’s with her husband George, Vradenburg used her cre- ativity and compassion to improve the lives of people with Alzheimer’s. Sadly, on April 17 this year she passed away unexpectedly at age 70. George Vradenburg carries on her lega-
cy as chairman of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s. “Trish’s mother and her grandmother died of Alzheimer’s, so we started this together in 2010,” he says. “It was about 25 years after her mother had been diagnosed with the disease, and nothing seemed to be hap- pening. We wanted to devote pretty much full time to trying to conquer Alzheimer’s.” When her mother fi rst began showing
symptoms, Trish Vradenburg was living in Los Angeles writing for “Designing Women.” Her mother lived in New Jer- sey and they didn’t see each other often, so the extent of Lerner’s decline was not immediately apparent. But as the disease worsened, there was no mistaking that she needed help. She had gone from being a bright, active civic leader to someone with memory lapses and hallucinations. “Trish ended up commuting every other week back from LA to New Jersey to see her mother and to make sure she was okay,” George Vradenburg says. When the couple moved back east, the emotional and fi nancial strain on the family became much more intense. True to her creative spirit, Trish Vraden-
44 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE / ISSUE 4 2017
George and Trish Vradenburg
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