Message from our Founder
Many years ago, I met a woman living in Pakistan working with Mother Theresa. I was in awe of her humanitarian soul and selflessness. I too wanted to be like her, to travel, to help elevate the lives of those underserved. However, she quickly said to me, "You don't have to go to another country to help others. There is much you can do right here, at home, in your own backyard." Her wise words were said to me over 30 years ago and still resonate with me today… Fast forward to late 2014, after I had been appointed to the Riverside Commission on Aging, I listened to the story of a very emotional man who came to a commission meeting and shared how he and his wife struggled to navigate her dementia journey. He was wanting the commission to know and understand his plight, to ask for help for others who might be experiencing the same challenges. I also saw how he, as her full-time caregiver, struggled and was left behind depleted and heartbroken. I wanted to help him heal but, I didn’t know how. I wanted my new friend to know I wasn’t just listening so his story, that I wanted to do something. I didn’t know what that something was but, I knew some kind of change was necessary. Sadly, I never had the opportunity to meet his wife, Debbie. She was only fifty- nine when Alzheimer’s disease took her life away and more than a year before I heard her husband’s story. It was profound to me listening to this tear-filled man talk of how he struggled to find the right resources and support for his wife, and help for himself as a caregiver. I was instantly inspired and determined to try and find a way to make change so others can get the accessible support they needed. So, on that day in 2014, I made myself a promise and remembered the words of a dedicated social worker from Pakistan, “in your own backyard”. The Inland Dementia Care Resource Center is established for anyone who seeks to find a safe haven, a place where they can come to for dementia services and support. It is here, under the roof of the IDCC, a dementia care sanctuary, one will find a special team of professionals dedicated to the Community providing, Advocacy, Resources and Education in the fight against dementia.
Many years ago, I met a woman living in Pakistan working with Mother Theresa. I was in awe of her humanitarian soul and selflessness. I too wanted to be like her, to travel, to help elevate the lives of those underserved. However, she quickly said to me, "You don't have to go to another country to help others. There is much you can do right here, at home, in your own backyard." Her wise words were said to me over 30 years ago and still resonate with me today…
Fast forward to late 2014, after I had been appointed to the Riverside Commission on Aging, I listened to the story of a very emotional man who came to a commission meeting and shared how he and his wife struggled to navigate her dementia journey. He was wanting the commission to know and understand his plight, to ask for help for others who might be experiencing the same challenges. I also saw how he, as her full-time caregiver, struggled and was left behind depleted and heartbroken. I wanted to help him heal but, I didn’t know how. I wanted my new friend to know I wasn’t just listening so his story, that I wanted to do something. I didn’t know what that something was but, I knew some kind of change was necessary. Sadly, I never had the opportunity to meet his wife, Debbie. She was only fifty- nine when Alzheimer’s disease took her life away and more than a year before I heard her husband’s story. It was profound to me listening to this tear-filled man talk of how he struggled to find the right resources and support for his wife, and help for himself as a caregiver. I was instantly inspired and determined to try and find a way to make change so others can get the accessible support they needed. So, on that day in 2014, I made myself a promise and remembered the words of a dedicated social worker from Pakistan, “in your own backyard”. The Inland Dementia Care Resource Center is established for anyone who seeks to find a safe haven, a place where they can come to for dementia services and support. It is here, under the roof of the IDCC, a dementia care sanctuary, one will find a special team of professionals dedicated to the Community providing, Advocacy, Resources and Education in the fight against dementia.
