Pat was in real estate and her husband, Art, were hoping to retire soon. It started with shaking and he would eventually be diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. A year later, he was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia (LBD). She retired early to care for the man she had been married to for over four decades.

She feels Lewy stole her “golden years” that were meant to be spent with her husband checking off items on their bucket list. Though the couple shared many laughs and touching moments on their LBD journey, it continued to progress until it would take him in 2020.

But she found a Facebook LBD support group where she was able to connect with others that have had the same experiences. Pat became incredibly involved in the group sharing updates and building friendships with the other members. It is through Facebook that she gave to the LBD community. She helped care partners on their own journey with LBD sharing what she learned and lived.

She wants caregivers to know, “make time for, even if it is walking into another room to read or going to lunch with a friend.” She says they should rely on the resources available to them, like the LBDA website, and build a support network to alleviate some of the weight – “take every little bit of help can get.”