ATLANTA, Feb. 2, 2012/PRNewswire-iReach/ -- The Memories Project http://memoriesproject.com/ is a unique online tribute created by digital journalist Joy Johnston, to honor her father Patrick Johnston, who suffered from Alzheimer's and died at the age of 79 in December of 2011. She will post daily memories of her father on her blog over the next year. Interspersed throughout her candid recollections will be favorite family photos, as well as images of landmarks from her childhood, which was spent in a suburb of Los Angeles. Her goal is to collect the memories and stories about her dad, preserve them and share them with others. She is actively reclaiming her dad's legacy, which was hijacked by dementia.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120202/CG46451)

A family that is touched by Alzheimer's is changed forever. A growing number of Americans find themselves as caregivers for loved ones suffering from dementia. It is often a thankless and very lonely position to endure, as the disease isolates the family from previous activities that they once enjoyed together. Watching the mental and physical decline of a loved one suffering from dementia is heartbreaking. The sense of hopelessness can be overwhelming. There is also the steep financial toll the disease takes on the family, which can literally wipe out one's life savings in a short amount of time.

The Memories Project will serve as inspiration for others to gather and preserve memories and stories of their loved ones now, because one never knows when it will be too late, as dementia can destroy one's memory long before physical death occurs. The Memories Project also will encourage others to join the fight against Alzheimer's and related dementias. With the government joining the movement by introducing the National Alzheimer's Plan, it is now up to citizens to join the cause and work together to find effective treatment for this terribly debilitating disease. This will require the cooperation of the government, the scientific community, the healthcare and insurance industries, as well as the those on the frontline, the caregivers of those with dementia. With the baby boomer population aging, it is vital as a nation that we address Alzheimer's now before it becomes the nation's next health crisis.

Future plans for The Memories Project include collecting the recorded memories and releasing them as a memoir, as well as launching a related project to encourage family members to submit their memories of loved ones with dementia to create their own online tributes. Joy's other areas of advocacy include better regulation of nursing homes and adequately addressing the financial issues surrounding dementia care.

About Joy Johnston

Joy Johnston has worked as an online journalist since 2002. She has worked for About.com, AOL CityGuide and served as City Editor for the inaugural edition of the "Not for Tourists Guide to Atlanta." She currently works as a Digital Producer at the Atlanta-Journal Constitution. You can follow her at her blog, http://memoriesproject.com and on Twitter via @JoyMemories.

Media Contact: Joy Johnston MemoriesProject.com, 6786373621, joyjohnstonatl@gmail.com

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SOURCE MemoriesProject.com