I know, from my own experience, that there is not much for teens and young adults coping with loved ones who have or have died from Alzheimer's disease. That is why I have created an online support group on the site Myspace.com for young people who want information, support, to share their story with others, or just to know they are not alone.

I (Jessica) am 17 years old but my father died of Alzheimer's when I was 14. A few years before my grandfather passed away from this horrible disease. I have worked with Alzheimer's patients as well and know exactly how hard it is for the family of Alzheimer's patients to deal with this.
My older sister, Jennifer, is in her 30's and will also be available to talk or give support as well.


This is the URL for the site.
www.myspace.com/__never_forget_x

Please note that you MUST have a Myspace account to fully access the group and/or to talk with us. It is very simple and free to set up an account with Myspace. Please upload a picture of yourself to your account as we will not be accepting anyone without a picture, for safety reasons. Thank you.

quote:

www.myspace.com/__never_forget_x

Jessica,
are you still around? I went to the myspace page, and it seems like it hasn't been updated since about the time it started (in Feb?).

I am very interested in finding something for my daughter, who is 11. some sort of support group, as losing her father to this horrible disease is not going to be an easy road for her.

However, I also have not allowed her on myspace or any of those places because of the dangers that they can be/have.

If you are still around, let me know, and maybe we can meet in a chat room sometime to exchange info so my daughter can meet you.

DSM14,
I (personally) would be reluctant to allow a child to participate on a non-Alz.org website. The members of this site are very knowledgeable about AD and the other dementias and all the aspects of caregiving and family relationships. I just don't know about other sites. I wouldn't know who would be monitoring any other site. I trust the members here. If anything inappropriate might get by, the other members would immediately correct it.

There were a few posts over the summer about starting a message board forum just for children. I remember that suggestions had been made to contact the administrators of this site. That's a good idea. Tell them you would like a safe forum so your children can participate.

Until that happens, perhaps you can start a thread for parents and grandparents of young children and network with each other.

Iris L.