About the Author

Barbara Michels was born and raised in Seattle, Washington, and graduated as a Physical Therapist from the University of Washington. She lost both of her parents to Alzheimer’s disease over a thirty-year period. Upon her husband’s retirement from the Air Force in 1982, they moved to New Mexico. It was in Albuquerque she first became involved with the New Mexico Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, an all-volunteer chapter. She has remained active since that time serving in many capacities over the years: Board member, committee chairperson and member, former Chapter President, presenter and attendee at numerous statewide conferences, support group leader, community speaker, trainer, and office volunteer. It was the repeated request of support group attendees to “put down on paper” the lifetime of insights and knowledge she has gained that encouraged her to pursue this endeavor. Barbara’s vision parallels that of the National Alzheimer’s Association: “A World without Alzheimer’s!”