Valerie Hagan is health programs coordinator at the Alliance for Aging Research. She is responsible for assisting with background research, development, design and production of age-related educational materials for consumers and health care audiences. Prior to joining the Alliance, she was the cancer education coordinator at the Calvert County Maryland Health Department. At the health department, she developed and implemented various educational activities related to cancer awareness in at-risk populations, and also coordinated patient care for the colon cancer grant program targeting uninsured county residents. She has held several research assistant positions in the fields of health, psychology and ecology. Valerie holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park.
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10 million of the almost 45 million caregivers in the United States care for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. Most of these caregivers are not prepared for their new role, which takes a toll on their mental and physical health. Furthermore, Alzheimer’s disease is often called a “family disease,” because the daily stress of watching a loved one slowly decline affects the whole family.
