Photo: Michael SimonGrowing up,Scott Eastwoodwatched his mom care for his grandmother withAlzheimer’s disease. She was right on the cusp of an early onset diagnosis—where you begin to lose your memory before the age of 65.Eastwood was 10 years old when his grandmother passed away, but remembers watching his mom come home heartbroken and exhausted every day for seven years.“It takes a toll on the whole family,” Eastwood, 32, tells PEOPLE. “I know how hard it was to see my mom in so much pain having her mother forget who she is. I can’t even imagine having to go through that and having my mother andmy fathernot remember who I am or not remember that I called the day before.”Eastwood, who is currently inBulgariafilming his upcoming movieThe Outpost,teamed up with Allergan andLearnAboutAlz.comto raise awareness for the disease through social media and ad campaigns in celebration of World Alzheimer’s Day, September 21.“We just want people to know they’re not alone,” he says. “It’s a day where people can remember their loved ones who passed away and give support to other caregivers.”“It’s not at the front of young people’s minds because they think ‘oh, it’s an old persons disease,'” he adds. “Well, the reality is, it’s an every person disease. We’re all going to get older, anddementiais a real problem. I think the more we can be ahead of it and understand it, the better we will all be.”
Photo: Michael Simon
Growing up,Scott Eastwoodwatched his mom care for his grandmother withAlzheimer’s disease. She was right on the cusp of an early onset diagnosis—where you begin to lose your memory before the age of 65.Eastwood was 10 years old when his grandmother passed away, but remembers watching his mom come home heartbroken and exhausted every day for seven years.“It takes a toll on the whole family,” Eastwood, 32, tells PEOPLE. “I know how hard it was to see my mom in so much pain having her mother forget who she is. I can’t even imagine having to go through that and having my mother andmy fathernot remember who I am or not remember that I called the day before.”Eastwood, who is currently inBulgariafilming his upcoming movieThe Outpost,teamed up with Allergan andLearnAboutAlz.comto raise awareness for the disease through social media and ad campaigns in celebration of World Alzheimer’s Day, September 21.“We just want people to know they’re not alone,” he says. “It’s a day where people can remember their loved ones who passed away and give support to other caregivers.”“It’s not at the front of young people’s minds because they think ‘oh, it’s an old persons disease,'” he adds. “Well, the reality is, it’s an every person disease. We’re all going to get older, anddementiais a real problem. I think the more we can be ahead of it and understand it, the better we will all be.”
Growing up,Scott Eastwoodwatched his mom care for his grandmother withAlzheimer’s disease. She was right on the cusp of an early onset diagnosis—where you begin to lose your memory before the age of 65.
Eastwood was 10 years old when his grandmother passed away, but remembers watching his mom come home heartbroken and exhausted every day for seven years.
“It takes a toll on the whole family,” Eastwood, 32, tells PEOPLE. “I know how hard it was to see my mom in so much pain having her mother forget who she is. I can’t even imagine having to go through that and having my mother andmy fathernot remember who I am or not remember that I called the day before.”
Eastwood, who is currently inBulgariafilming his upcoming movieThe Outpost,teamed up with Allergan andLearnAboutAlz.comto raise awareness for the disease through social media and ad campaigns in celebration of World Alzheimer’s Day, September 21.
“We just want people to know they’re not alone,” he says. “It’s a day where people can remember their loved ones who passed away and give support to other caregivers.”
“It’s not at the front of young people’s minds because they think ‘oh, it’s an old persons disease,'” he adds. “Well, the reality is, it’s an every person disease. We’re all going to get older, anddementiais a real problem. I think the more we can be ahead of it and understand it, the better we will all be.”
source: people.com
