B. Smith Model, Entrepreneur Diagnosed at 62 w/ Early Onset Alzhiemers

For most of her life B. Smith "had it all" a successful model, designer and entrepenuer she was a role model for women across the country. She was the first African American Woman to grace the cover of "Mademoiselle" magazine. She and her husband Dan Gasby are what many consider a "power couple" & have been married for 23 years.

Among the couple’s successes as business partners are a SiriusXM radio show about entertaining, business and their secrets for a happy marriage; the opening of three restaurants in the United States; and an expansive line of cookware and olive oil. Now, Smith and Gasby are facing another challenging endeavor— one less unique than their previous hurdles yet one that has brought them closer together: The 64 year old has had to cope with something not even her husband of 23 years could believe, Early Onset Alzhiemers.

Now a victim B. has gone on a nationwide tour to promote Alzhiemers awareness. In her new book "Before I Forget" she details the struggle and reality that having the disease brings. How family plays a crucial role in treating Alzhiemers and steps she could've taken to make things easier.

It all started in 2014 with something most people wouldn't even notice, B started asking the same questions more than once. Soon she began forgetting where she had left things or whether she had eaten or taken medicine. These events culminated in a 2-day scare for her and her family when B wandered out of a Manhattan Hotel and was eventually found in Brooklyn. They went to a doctor and received the confirmation, she had early onset Alzhiemers.

An estimated 5.1 million Americans ages 65 and older suffer from Alzheimer’s disease— a condition as devastating as it is mysterious, as scientists know neither precisely what causes the most common type of dementia nor how to cure it. An estimated three or more Americans provide free and regular care for each diagnosed Alzheimer’s patient nationwide, amounting in 2014 to an estimated value of $217.7 billion— a number that is expected to nearly triple by 2050.

Her husband Dan Gasby is one of the more than 15 million Alzheimer’s caregivers in the United States who is providing that free care. With Smith by his side, Gasby is helping spearhead a national campaign with the nonprofit Caregiver Action Network (CAN) and Actavis, an Allergan affiliate, to raise awareness of caregivers like himself, whose lives are rattled as profoundly as Alzheimer’s patients themselves when the disease strikes.

B. Smith's story truly highlights one true fact Alzhiemers is devastating; for the patient AND the family. Janice Axelrod & Associates specializes in finding and designing the perfect Long Term Care insurance plan that can help mitigate the real potential that you or your loved ones may eventually need long term care. 1 in 4 people will eventually need it and the costs are both emotional and financial.

While nothing can truly insure your mind a Long Term Care policy can give you peace of mind about your future and your family.

Call Us Today to learn more about Long Term Care.

Janice Axelrod & Associates Inc 773-832-1340