Dementia Spotlight Foundation Offers Care, Personal Connection

Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio

Dementia Spotlight Foundation Co-Founder and Executive Director Whitney DeMarlo Oeltmann joins the Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio podcast to share the Foundation's story. Oeltmann joins host Carol Morgan for the Around Atlanta segment. At 68 years old, Oeltmann’s father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Following his diagnosis, the family struggled to find resources and support to cope and move forward. In response to the lack of resources, Oeltmann and her mother founded the Dementia Spotlight Foundation, a nonprofit to support dementia patients and their families. Modeled after Oeltmann’s experience, the Foundation fills a lot of gaps that are missing for them. Through her journey, Oeltmann noticed a lack of knowledge surrounding dementia and its most common form, Alzheimer’s disease. Dementia is a terminal brain illness that results in the loss of memory and often leads to further complications. With other terminal diagnoses, patients receive a path forward to cope with what lies ahead. Unfortunately, this is not the case with dementia patients. Oeltmann said, “Our vision was to wrap people from that moment of diagnosis…to have someone to talk to, move forward and really focus on care.” People often assume dementia solely affects memory loss, but the disease reaches much further. Brain disease also affects cognition – how a person thinks and approaches things as well as physical capabilities. Oeltmann shared that it is crucial to understand the disease and its signs first and foremost in order to move forward. Oeltmann said, “It changes everything…Financially, it is devastating what it has done to families.” The pandemic was notably isolating for dementia patients and their families. Through the Foundation’s Care Partner Program as well as virtual and in-person support groups, there is a strong focus on maintaining social connections. To have that personal link through volunteering and support groups has an incredible impact as many dementia patients are forced to part ways with their careers and commitments upon diagnosis. Dementia Mentors is a mentoring program that matches participants with a mentor based on the diagnosis. An international program, Dementia Mentors offers support through shared experiences and 48 virtual “Connection Cafes” monthly. The Respite Care Program offers caregivers relief and personal time to focus on themselves and complete tasks with the confident knowledge that their loved one is in safe hands. Tune in to the full interview above for more information on the Dementia Spotlight Foundation or visit www.DementiaSpotlightFoundation.org. Never miss an episode of Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio! Subscribe to the podcast here. You can also get a recap of any past episode on the Radio page. Listen to the full interview above! Georgia Residential Mortgage Licensee, License #22564. NMLS ID #6606. Subject to borrower and property qualifications. Not all applicants will qualify. The Dementia Spotlight Foundation and New American Funding are not associated. Click here to view the terms and conditions of products mentioned during the show. Corporate office 14511 Myford Rd., Suite 100, Tustin, CA 92780. Phone: [phone]. (January/2022) New American Funding is a family-owned mortgage lender with a servicing portfolio of over 216,000+ loans for $56.8 billion, 171 branches and about 4,500+ employees. The company offers several niche loan products and has made Inc. 5000’s list of Fastest-Growing Companies in America seven times. For more information, call 678-898-3540 or visit https://branch.newamericanfunding.com/Atlanta. The Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio “All About Real Estate” segment, presented by Denim Marketing, highlights the movers and shakers in the Atlanta real estate industry – the home builders, developers, Realtors and suppliers working to provide the American dream for Atlantans. For more information on how you can be featured as a gue...