“Being Around Others Is Good” - Member Profile

George L. Lopez was one of the first members of the Lotus Club at PSGDC, which is still the only day program for people with Early Memory Loss in Brooklyn. He comes to the center on the Access-A-Ride van, not the most timely form of transportation, but it gets him to the 14th Street center from his home in the Gerritsen Beach neighborhood. While other members ride PSGDC’s red vans, George likes to be a bit more independent.

Haydee Lopez, George’s wife, sought out resources soon after her husband’s diagnosis
of early onset Alzheimer’s Disease. They attended educational workshops offered by
the Alzheimer’s Association and walked in the Association’s annual Memory Walk. Through these connections they learned about PSGDC’s programs and scheduled a visit to see what the Lotus Club had to offer.

At first George felt he didn’t really need the program. He’s very active and physically fit. He has a 4th degree Black Belt in karate, runs, and works out regularly. On display in his home are several trophies he’s won in karate tournaments and road races. He has a passion for hunting and still travels with his family to upstate New York for deer season.

“I don’t think this place is for me,” he told his wife, but she encouraged him to try it for a while. That was more than a year ago, and George has regularly attended the program ever since. “It’s something to do rather than staying home alone. Being around others is good.” He enjoys meeting people, talking, kidding around, and getting support from others who have similar memory problems.

George is known as the jokester of the group, and he keeps things lively. He also finds that he can help others in the program who need assistance with the games and other activities. Since he’s so active himself, he helped to outline an exercise routine for the whole group and leads it with staff supervision.

Early onset Alzheimer’s can often have a genetic connection, and George had an uncle with Alzheimer’s. More recently his sister Alice was also diagnosed. While it’s sometimes hard to think of what the future might hold, George says, “I hope that the medicine coming behind us will do better.”

Meanwhile, you can find George making everyone laugh at the Lotus Club at PSGDC. You might also see him sprinting ahead of his age group in Dan’s 5K Fun Run each August in Gerritsen Beach.

Photo: George with his wife and sister and an Alzheimer's Association conference.