Janine lives in a small town in middle Tennessee just outside of Nashville. She has two daughters and two grandchildren who live on the west coast in Oregon. She left her career as a director of project management in June 2017 and struggled with no job or income for over a year before she was finally diagnosed with young- onset Alzheimer’s in 2018 at the age 53. While the diagnosis was hard to receive, it was also a relief to finally have an answer to her struggles of the prior few years. Finding DAI in 2019, Janine started having a new outlook on the future as she read about others like herself and began to believe it was possible to live well with dementia.
Throughout her 30-year career, she was always able to do what she enjoyed most—teaching and training others. Her work experience also includes project management, technical support, technical writing, training curriculum development, lots of collaboration and more.
Over the past few years, she has learned to make accommodations in areas where she struggles, to give herself grace where she might fall short and to enjoy even the smallest accomplishments. She is excited for the opportunity to serve DAI and advocate for herself and others with dementia as she continues to regain confidence in who she is and what she is still capable of accomplishing.