We've always admired celebrity in this country. After all, we're the birthplace of the "American Dream"– that ability to rise above one's circumstances through hard work– so it's no surprise we reward those who've succeeded at it.
However, accident and illness do not discriminate between rich or poor, famous or obscure.
What can we learn about extended care from our celebrity role models?
Quite a bit, it turns out. When we survey many of the top causes of extended care, we find identifiable figures associated with each.
Here's the first part of a version of a review I put together for members of my own company's distribution team.
Pat Summitt, Alzheimer's
Winningest basketball coach– male or female– in NCAA history, and winner of eight national titles, Pat Summitt at the age of 59 became another casualty in our failure to prevent or cure early-onset dementia.
No disease is more feared in this country than dementia such as Alzheimer's– and with good reason. Every 68 seconds, someone in the US develops Alzheimer's, our nation's sixth leading cause of death.
Coach Summitt has been courageous and candid about documenting life since her diagnosis in her book, "Sum it Up."
She has also established the Pat Summitt Foundation, a non-profit that will raise money for education and research to fight Alzheimer's as well as support individuals and families struggling with the disease.
