For Volunteers

In April of 2018 my daughter, Sharmane and I experienced the privilege of attending the National Down Syndrome Society’s inspirational and educational First Annual Down Syndrome Adult Summit.  

With Sharmane getting older, forty-four at the time of the conference and dementia prevalent in people with Down syndrome, we mainly attended lectures related to dementia and Alzheimer’s. A few speakers provided insight into the early symptoms of Alzheimer’s, which are different for people with Down syndrome as explained below. Others described best practices for dealing with those experiencing dementia, and one lecture offered suggestions for preserving memories.   

This essay is intended to help the parents, family, friends, and caregivers of people with Down syndrome to recognize and navigate the turbulent world of dementia if you must enter that realm.  

I wanted to write a blog post and share a little about myself and my family with everyone.  You may be wondering….what brought me to DSAMT given that I don’t have a child with Down syndrome?  Well, the answer is a little long...

The consequences of making assumptions about our kids can be real and negatively impactful.  This post explores the need to shift the paradigm from one of what our kids can't do to what they CAN do.