After caring for her husband with dementia for 5 years, Mrs. M. had a stress related heart attack.
	Mr. H. wishes that he knew some tips for making the daily ritual of bathing his wife less stressful.
	Ms. P., who lives out of town, is concerned that her mother is becoming too forgetful to live alone in her Las Vegas home.

	Mr. G. feels lonely and overwhelmed caring for his wife, without family close by and few friends who still call to see how he is doing.
	Ms. R is grateful that, even though her mother has Alzheimer’s disease, the family has become closer as together they figure out how to provide care and support for both parents.

Each of these individuals is a caregiver who provides care, love and support for a family member. Larry Ruvo, Founder and Chairman of Keep Memory Alive, understands the challenges of caregiving firsthand. His mother, Angie Ruvo, spent years as the primary caregiver for her husband, Lou. In addition to the stresses of caregiving, her physical health was impacted by months of improperly lifting her husband. Immediately following Lou’s death, Angie was admitted to the hospital to undergo complex back surgery. She now lives with chronic pain, an end result of being a loyal, caring, and loving wife. This personal experience led to Larry’s commitment to ensure that caregivers receive the support they need to care for their own well being during a time of extraordinary challenge.

Keep Memory Alive and the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health together view caregiver services as an integral part of their mission. Complementing excellent medical care, our focus on caregivers affirms that neurocognitive diseases impact not just the patient but everyone involved in offering care and support. Our goal is to provide supportive services and programs to caregivers and family members, maximizing their knowledge, skills and capacity to provide care.

Each of us during our lifetime will be called upon to offer care and support to a loved one. Often times, we do not think of ourselves as doing anything special – just being a loyal spouse like Angie Ruvo or taking care of a parent who cared for us as a child. However, those who take on this role know that caregiving takes time, energy, resources and, in the case of an illness impacting cognitive functioning, education to understand the course of the disease and its impact on an individual’s capacity to care for himself. Caregivers often experience a wide range of emotions from frustration and isolation to the gratification knowing that a loved one is being well cared for in a safe and supportive environment.

Caregiving for someone with a neurocognitive disease has unique challenges. This experience is characterized by significant change due to the progressive nature and duration of these illnesses, creating the need for continuing learning and adaptation. As an advocate for caregivers, we offer the essential ingredients of support, education and services over the course of the disease including: