Neighbor News
Local Senior Living with Alzheimer's Writes Memoirs
Local group helps senior citizens recall their life stories and capture them through the written word
Milton “Mack” McPherson was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s nearly five years ago. Mack is an active member of the Alzheimer’s Association’s Reminiscing and Writing Club, an early stage engagement group that meets once a week to write and discuss their memoirs. He credits this group with helping him to cope with his diagnosis. To-date, he has written more than 200 pages detailing his life that he intends to pass down to his children and grandchildren.
Mack’s life has certainly included some twists and turns. He was born in Jamaica and immigrated to Brooklyn, NY with his parents when he was 12 years old. He enlisted in the US Army and after two years joined the 101st Airborne Division as a paratrooper. He first learned of his artistic ability when he volunteered to paint a mural on a mess hall wall. After completing his military service, Mack attended an Art Institute in Queens, and has dabbled in everything from painting and drawing to sculpture and design. He married his wife during a time when interracial couples were stigmatized, eventually moving to the Capital Region as an adult and raising his family here. He witnessed the progressive decline of his mother-in-law and sister-in-law who eventually succumbed to Alzheimer’s, which made his diagnosis even more troubling. However, he tries to keep his mind as active as possible. Since his Alzheimer’s diagnosis, painting has become an important creative outlet and Mack has completed hundreds of paintings in the last few years.
The need for strong voices and advocacy on behalf of our African American communities in the fight against Alzheimer’s has never been greater.
Find out what's happening in Albanyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
- African Americans are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease as older white Americans.
- African Americans may be more likely to be diagnosed in the later stages of the disease, when individuals are more cognitively and physically impaired – and therefore, are in need of more medical care.
- Despite their increased risk, African Americans are underrepresented in clinical trials.
Early diagnosis and treatment are critical and we can’t get there without bringing Alzheimer’s to the forefront of conversations.