Life Lessons: Rick Alba shares how his mother’s dementia diagnosis changed them forever

Life is hard, stressful, fast-paced and can sometimes be overwhelming. That’s why EastIdahoNews.com is partnering with MorningStar Senior Living of Idaho Falls to bring you Life Lessons.

We usually ask MorningStar residents to share gems of wisdom every Tuesday with us. Some of their answers might make you laugh, some may make you cry, some may even change your life.

For the next few weeks, we are interviewing people who have loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. This is leading up to the 2020 Walk to End Alzheimer’s on Saturday, Sept. 26. The purpose is to raise awareness and find a cure for the terminal disease.

Rick Alba’s mother was diagnosed with dementia several years ago. He had a feeling she wasn’t doing well long before she went to a doctor, but Rick’s step-father was protective of his mom and took good care of her.

After his stepfather died, Rick immediately knew his mother needed help. She was officially diagnosed and Rick did all he could to take care of her on his own, but he knew he needed help. He reached out to others, did his own research and eventually, he and his mother agreed she needed to move to Morningstar.

Watch the video above for our entire interview with Rick and you can learn more about the Walk to End Alzheimer’s here.