Tom's Story: We're All One Big Family

My name is Tom. My brother and I noticed that my father’s memory was just not the same as it used to be. We had gone to see his primary care doctor a few times, and he just chalked it up to old age. We thought it was more than that, so we got a referral to a neurologist. And the neurologist confirmed our fears, saying, “Your father has Alzheimer’s.”

My father was a little reluctant in the beginning. We signed him up for the Reconnections program, but he didn’t seem like he really wanted to go – probably the whole new environment. He was a little afraid. But when he came home that first day, there was a little pep in his step. He wanted to know how soon he could go back. He was doing that until the COVID crisis struck.

Insight pulled out all the stops to keep their participants active. They set up virtual classes. He started doing the virtual Reconnections program, but he had issues looking at the TV screen with so many people. So I talked with the staff who ran the program, and he said he would set up one-on-one calls, twice a week, virtually. Dad loves those calls.

What I really like about Insight is, right from the get-go, I started going to support groups in-person and classes that they offer in-person. When the COVID crisis started, they moved all of that virtually. Being here at Insight is like being with family. When I had mentioned this at a support group meeting, they all agreed, “Yes, Tom, we are one big family.”

Hear more family stories and about what Insight has been up to in our 2020-2021 Annual Report.