COLUMBIANA, Ohio — It’s a disease with no cure and doctors are diagnosing more people than ever. An estimated 6.9 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s, according to the Alzheimer’s Association 2024 report.

The dementia causes a decline in memory and thinking over time. Because of that, people living with the disease often need extra attention, with family members often transitioning into the role of caregiver.

These are not trained experts in the medical field, but relatives who want to help their loved ones through the journey ahead. And a free online resource is connecting caregivers with health care professionals for extra peace of mind along that journey.

It’s something that did not exist when Teresa Loney’s mom, Peggy, was having a hard time remembering recent events.

“She could tell you anything that happened, you know, in the ‘70s,” Teresa said. “Like, I did something wrong in high school and she would bring it up repeatedly, but she couldn’t tell you what she had for lunch.”

Since Peggy’s sister had dementia, it was on the family’s radar. The Loneys brought Peggy to a doctor.

“The unknown is way more difficult,” Teresa said. “Even though you don’t want that diagnosis. If you get the diagnosis, then you go, ‘OK, now let’s figure out how to fight it.’”

Teresa was at her mom’s side for the nearly five years she lived with the disease before she passed away in 2019. She worked with her dad to be her mom’s primary caregivers.

“They took care of all of us for so long that it was nice to be able to do that back,” she said.

But it was a role neither Teresa nor her father was prepared for.

“You know that you love that person, so you want them to get what they need,” she said. “And sometimes as a layperson and not a medical person, you don’t know what that is.”

Teresa’s daughter-in-law Jessica Corona-Irwin watched her family live through this experience. It changed the registered nurse’s own course of caring.

“In health care I think that we’re always inclined to like fix or solve, and this is just something that can’t currently be fixed or solved,” Corona-Irwin said.

Since then, Corona-Irwin earned the titles of Certified Dementia Practitioner and Certified Dementia Support Group Facilitator.

“I really noticed this gap in the care that you receive at bedside and then what happens when people go home,” she said.

She works for Remo, a free virtual resource connecting caregivers with health care professionals in a safe, supportive space.

“Folks can come and they can post whatever’s on their mind,” Corona-Irwin said. “They can come for support, they can come for connection, they can come looking for resources.”

Corona-Irwin, as the head of member engagement, leads a team using expertise to empathize and let people know what they’re feeling is OK. She said guilt, fear, isolation and frustration are shared among caregivers.

“It’s normal to feel overwhelmed and scared and alone,” she said. “It’s life changing. But I think it’s so important for people to deeply know that they are doing their absolute best.”

It’s validation that Teresa said would have gone a long way while she was caring for her mom.

“To have somebody that’s a trained medical professional be able to tell you that all those fears are normal would have been fantastic,” she said.

She now wears her mom’s diamond ring, with a stone for Teresa and each of her siblings, as a reminder she’s not alone. Her mother handed it down with a message.

“I want you to remember you always have help,” she said. “You always have your brothers and sisters. And that’s so important.”

Now grateful there’s a nationwide network of support for other families facing similar situations.