Hawthorne Press Tribune
The Weekly Newspaper of Hawthorne
Herald Publications - El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 63, No. 48 - December 2, 2021
Special Cold Winter Treats
to Help Celebrate the Holiday Season
La Michoacana, Ricas Nieves held a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially kick off their grand opening here in the City of Hawthorne. Ice cream, fruit popsicles, fruit bowls, crepes and so much more. Located at 11812 Hawthorne Blvd. Help support our local businesses
during the holidays. Photo courtesy City of Hawthorne.
Seniors
Now Is The Time To Talk About
Alzheimer’s Together
(BPT) - Throughout his career, Rod Stephenson,
73, of Savannah, Georgia, wore many hats.
He worked in television broadcasting, the retail
pizza industry, in manufacturing and quality
assurance - and most recently, he was ordained
as a pastor. But after Stephenson decided to
retire from his eventful and successful career,
his wife Deb started to notice some changes.
For their family, the turning point was a
simple one - a conversation about a family
vacation they had taken the previous summer.
Rod could not recall the trip.
“I felt like I had holes in my memory,” Rod
said. “My wife, Deb, made a reference to a
family vacation from the previous summer, but
I could not recall the trip. I looked through
photos and recognized people in the photos,
but I had no recollection of being there.”
In addition to memory issues, Rod became
less aware of his surroundings and often had
the sensation of being lost. During his career,
which took him to five states, Rod was always
able to navigate his surroundings with ease,
but that was starting to change.
“If I had been anywhere once, I could return
without directions, maps or GPS,” he recalled.
“But I was becoming more confused and found
myself getting lost easily.”
Deb then took an often overlooked, but
all too important first step. She immediately
expressed her concerns about the changes she
was seeing to Rod himself. A new Alzheimer’s
Association/Ad Council omnibus survey finds
that only 44% of Americans would talk to a
loved one right away about seeing a doctor if
they noticed signs of cognitive decline.
Together, Deb and Rod decided he should
get a cognitive evaluation. Initially, doctors told
Rod the changes were most likely age-related.
Not satisfied with this answer, Rod eventually
visited a local neurologist for more cognitive
testing. He was diagnosed initially with earlystage
Alzheimer’s, but the diagnosis was later
changed to mild cognitive impairment (MCI),
a common precursor to Alzheimer’s.
The Stephenson couple struggled with this
diagnosis and realized they needed help. They
connected with the Alzheimer’s Association 24-7
Helpline and his local Georgia Alzheimer’s Association,
which provided disease information
as well as care and support resources available
through their state.
“Calling the Helpline was the best thing
I could have done,” Rod said. “It not only
provided us with important information, but it
WARNING:
Entering this area can expose you
to chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and birth
defects or other reproductive harm,
including styrene and methanol, from
environmental exposure.
For more information go to
www. P65Warnings.ca.gov.
See the map below for affected area:
Headquarters
1225 Willow Lake Blvd
St. Paul MN 55110
See Seniors, page 5
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