The Whitewater Community Engagement Center had the honor of hosting an information session followed by former governor Marty Schreiber as a guest speaker. The talk was centered around Governor Schreiber’s experience as an Alzheimer’s caregiver to his wife Elaine who passed away last April after living with the disease for 18 years. 

The former governor shared his incites and what he learned about the disease, himself, and his relationship with Elaine. Early on in his presentation, he emphasized on the importance of giving loved-ones their “best life” and not living in ignorance of the disease.

“Because you don’t understand this disease you argue with yourself, you criticize the person who is ill, you don’t go into their world,” said Schreiber. “In summary, it’s realizing that if Alzheimer’s is bad, ignorance of the disease is worse.”  

Shreiber shared many memories and stories of his wife throughout the presentation and also read a few excerpts from her journal that she wrote in as her disease progressed. He read the entries to the audience as a way of showing attendees the world through the eyes of someone living with alzeimers. 

“You have to enter their world,” said Shreiber. “The disease is incurable and there’s no way to stop its progression. In summary, you learn not to run from the storm, but how to dance in the rain.”

Shreiber has given hundreds of presentations on caring for those with Alzheimer’s and is a well-known supporter for the Alzheimer’s Association and helped initiate the awareness program Operation: Stronger Together. Since taking effect the program has helped the Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter connect families with vital educational resources that give them the knowledge of best caregiving practices.

He also told about his inspiration to write his book “My Two Elaines: Learning, Coping, and Surviving as an Alzheimer’s Caregiver.” The main purpose of writing the book was to provide a valuable resource to families who might be struggling to navigate and seek answers as to what steps they should take in helping their family members live their best life. 

“Marty knows there’s a lot of people who have a person in their lives who have Alzheimer’s, so he likes to talk, tell his story, and provide a message of hope,” said Mary Anne Clairday, senior consultant for “My Two Elaines” and long time friend of Schreiber.

Shreiber opened up the presentation for questions before closing and also had copies of his book available after the presentation which he signed with each purchase. All proceeds from the sale went to Alzheimer’s research. which he first self-published along with Milwaukee based writer Cathy Breitenbucher. The book was later revised and re-released in 2018. The book was later named the 11th Best Alzheimer’s of All Time by Book Authority.org and Best Caregiving Books of 2017-2018 by Caring.com.

For more information on Marty and Elaine’s story and how to get involved with the fight against alzheimer’s visit https://mytwoelaines.com/