burg turned to writing to help her cope with the situation. She wrote a darkly comedic play, “Surviving Grace,” that closely mir- rored what had happened in her own family. “The play was a way for her to resolve all of her issues with her mother,” George Vra- denburg says. “It was almost therapeutic.” The play was produced at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and ran off Broadway at the Union Square Theater in New York City. Marilu Henner, Carol Bur- nett, and other celebrities have participated in readings of the play to raise funds for Alzheimer’s research. In an eff ort to create a greater impact in
the crusade against Alzheimer’s, the infl u- ential Vradenburgs also began volunteering with the Alzheimer’s Association. Beginning in 2003, they chaired a high-profi le gala ev- ery year to raise funds and awareness for the organization. In nine years they raised more than $9 million for the Association. However, they were disappointed with
the slow pace of progress toward a cure. “In 2010 we said, ‘You know, it’s not enough to do one night a year. This just isn’t satisfying our desire to really have an impact on cre- ating a movement here.’ And so we started UsAgainstAlzheimer’s,” says Vradenburg. The nonprofi t aims to pressure global
governments, the pharmaceutical industry, and scientists to work harder to produce ef- fective methods of preventing and treating Alzheimer’s by 2025. As an independent nonprofit, UsAgainstAlzheimer’s is able to push hard for change across all sectors without fear of repercussions. “As Trish would say, ‘If industry gets mad at us, or government gets mad at us, or researchers get mad at us, what are they going to do, fi re us?’” Vradenburg says. “They can’t fi re us, so why don’t we demand change?” With a mixture of frustration and op-
timism, Vradenburg carries on his wife’s legacy in continuing to push for greater eff ort across all sectors. “We’re learning a lot, and we’re learning a lot quickly,” he says. “I do think that we have a reasonable prospect of getting a means of prevention and treatment by 2025. But that does not mean it’s cured. I think we’re going to be in
a world in which we’ll have some successful drugs but the drugs are only going to be partially eff ective and where we’re going to need high-quality care institutions for a very, very long time.” Vradenburg urges memory care providers
to take a leadership role in Alzheimer’s care beyond the confi nes of their own properties. For instance, he suggests that staff members could attend or host community events to educate people about Alzheimer’s. He also proposes the idea that senior living proper- ties consider off ering a fee-based in-home
“I do think that we have a reasonable prospect of getting a means of prevention and treatment by 2025," says George Vradenburg, UsAgainstAlzheimer's.
Bea Lerner, Trish Vradenburg's mother
care management service, visiting Alzhei- mer’s patients at home once a week to guide their care and to educate caregivers about patient well-being, home safety, enrichment activities, and other issues. As UsAgainstAlzheimer’s continues to
press toward its goal, Vradenburg will ensure that his late wife’s legacy grows right along with it. “Trish is going to be part of this organization forever,” he says. He recently launched the “Be Trish” campaign, which urges everyone to follow her example of working for meaningful change and to there- fore “Be Trish.” The campaign will include a “Be Trish” award and other initiatives. “Trish was the light of my life,” Vra-
denburg says. “She was joyful, optimistic, a believer that ‘today’s dreams are tomor- row’s realities.’ She infused people around her with a sense of optimism and a sense of joy that we can solve this problem. This is not intractable. This is something we can do; we just have to get at it.”
For more information about UsAgainstAlz- heimer’s, visit
usagainstalzheimers.org/.
ISSUE 4 2017 /
ARGENTUM.ORG 45
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