Last November the Alzheimer’s Association launched the Advocates for Alzheimer’s Disease essay contest, which encourages young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 touched by Alzheimer’s to voice their concerns and become more engaged in advocacy efforts and Alzheimer awareness. The winning essay was submitted by Kristen Czenszak, age 22, of Downington, Pa. Kristen is a senior at NYC’s Fordham University and a member of the Chapter’s Junior Committee. We are very proud of Kristen’s accomplishments! When you are fourteen and have ‘old people’ as an interest, gerontology as a career goal and bingo with Alzheimer’s patients as a hobby, you aren’t easily understood by your peers.

Kristen with her parents at the 2007 Alzheimer’s Association Public Policy Forum

Still, at twenty-one years old, I face friends and fellow ‘young adults’ completely unaware of the public health crisis which lies before us. How do you motivate young, vibrant and healthy people to care about an elderly person who is suffering from a disease that seems so far removed from their adolescent lives? By making it relevant and real.

As an advertising intern, I believe in the ability to visually stimulate the public. A personal goal of mine is to rally support for Alzheimer’s from the Ad Council; a non-profit known for producing campaigns that have made a measurable difference in our society. My campaign would sound like this:

Write down your favorite physical feature, your favorite activity, the name of your best friend, your love interest. Write down your favorite memory.Now throw it all away. You have Alzheimer’s; no familiar faces, no favorites, no answers. The disease, although distant now, will likely touch your grandparents, your parents or even you, especially with the number affected increasing to an expected 14 million by 2050. While we fight for a cure, the reality is that in the meantime a good many of us will become caregivers; a job responsibility that is not only financially draining but emotionally as well. Imagine dressing, bathing and feeding your own mother, the woman who taught you to do all those things for yourself, while she looks at you blankly without being able to recall your name. It comes as no surprise that approximately 45% of caregivers, the you and I of the future, suffer from depression and that 1 in 10 of us become physically ill as a result of care giving.With the projected rise of Medicare, Medicaid and nursing home costs, the difficulty of caregiving is likely to increase. The future is today, and we can make a difference; volunteer locally and become an advocate. Fight for a cure now, so that you and your loved ones can remember today, tomorrow.

This emotional appeal serves as a call to action for young advocates who can help in ways beyond traditional volunteering. Our generation is one that is tech savvy, socially conscience, college educated and naturally born viral marketers. We have the skills that compliment and enhance the cause and can lend our abilities to our local chapters. With our knowledge of marketplace trends, the media and the value of public relations we can augment chapter events, fundraisers and programs and we can generate awareness quicker and more effectively than any generation before us. We also possess the writing and communication skills that can drive change in Congress. By writing to Congress,we can educate legislators about the disease and can push to appropriate more funding for Alzheimer’s research to ensure that our memories and the memories of our parents are preserved. Youth in itself is by far our greatest advantage. Our vivacity, drive and determination are what will energize the cause and find it a cure.

— Kristen Czenszak

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