A Son’s Journey: From Parkinson’s Disease Caregiver to Advocate with Dr. George Ackerman

Truth, Lies & Alzheimer's

In today’s episode, Lisa talks with her very special guest, Dr. George Ackerman, about his pursuit to raise Parkinson’s awareness and to find a cure for Parkinson’s Disease.

Many of the highlights of this episode include:

• What inspired him to dedicate his life to Parkinson’s awareness.
• His mother, Sharon Riff Ackerman, and her battle with Parkinson’s.
• Why he wrote his new book, A Son’s Journey: From Parkinson’s Disease Caregiver to Advocate.
• What everyone needs to know to navigate the heartbreaking challenges of living with Parkinson’s Disease.
• And, much, much, more…don’t miss this informative episode!

About the Guest:

Dr. George Ackerman is a professor in the areas of Criminal Justice, Law, Homeland Security, and Business. He received his Ph.D. from Capella University, a J.D. from the Shepard Broad Law Center, and M.B.A. from Nova Southeastern University. George has become a tireless advocate for raising Parkinson’s awareness and for finding a cure for Parkinson’s after his mother, Sharon Riff Ackerman, passed away from the disease in 2020. George wanted to honor his mother by keeping her memory alive by founding TogetherForSharon, a movement dedicated to sharing the message of Parkinson’s awareness and hope for a cure.

https://www.togetherforsharon.com/

About the Host:

Author Lisa Skinner is a behavioral specialist with expertise in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia. In her 30+year career working with family members and caregivers, Lisa has taught them how to successfully navigate the many challenges that accompany this heartbreaking disease. Lisa is both a Certified Dementia Practitioner and is also a certified dementia care trainer through the Alzheimer’s Association. She also holds a degree in Human Behavior.

Her latest book, “Truth, Lies & Alzheimer’s – Its Secret Faces” continues Lisa’s quest of working with dementia-related illnesses and teaching families and caregivers how to better understand the daunting challenges of brain disease. Her #1 Best-seller book “Not All Who Wander Need Be Lost,” was written at their urging. As someone who has had eight family members diagnosed with dementia, Lisa Skinner has found her calling in helping others through the struggle so they can have a better-quality relationship with their loved ones through education and through her workshops on counter-intuitive solutions and tools to help people effectively manage the symptoms of brain disease. Lisa Skinner has appeared on many national and regional media broadcasts. Lisa helps explain behaviors caused by dementia, encourages those who feel burdened, and gives practical advice for how to respond.

So many people today are heavily impacted by Alzheimer's disease and related dementia. The Alzheimer's Association and the World Health Organization have projected that the number of people who will develop Alzheimer's disease by the year 2050 worldwide will triple if a treatment or cure is not found. Society is not prepared to care for the projected increase of people who will develop this devastating disease. In her 30 years of working with family members and caregivers who suffer from dementia, Lisa has recognized how little people really understand the complexities of what living with this disease is really like. For Lisa, it starts with knowledge, education, and training.

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