Bicyclists organize to promote safety ► PAGE 4
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Friends relate caring for kin with dementia in new podcast
Student helps children navigate court system By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com
By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Nancy Treaster struggled to find the information she needed while caring for her husband, who had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia about a decade ago. Frontotemporal dementia is a cognitive disorder that involves the progressive degeneration of the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, resulting in symptoms like changes in personality and behavior, loss of speech and language skills as well as physical issues. Feeling frustrated, the Johns Creek resident turned to her longtime friend Sue Ryan, who had been in the caregiving world herself for 40 years, with an idea to start a blog about the day-to-day challenges of caregiving and how to tackle them. Ryan, based in Florida, suggested they join forces to start a podcast. And, they did, launching “The Caregiver’s Journey” in August. “We wanted to be able to have practical tips and candid conversations about the good, the bad, and yes, the ugly, in our caregiving journeys, and help people get really specific, detailed answers … and also be on the positive side, though, too,” Ryan said.
See CAREGIVER, Page 20
JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Flipping through the children’s book she wrote, Sanjana Shah explained a narrative built from interviews she conducted with local judges, child welfare law specialists and court appointed special advocates. “All these illustrations that you see … it’s inspired by the Fulton County Juvenile Court,” said Shah, a senior at Johns Creek High School. For the past year, Shah has led a service project to create resources for children forced to navigate the court system. They are housed under her nonprofit A Voice for Youth in Court, aimed at lessening the anxiety of children ages 8 to 15 who must testify. Shah raised $3,000 for the project, including a workbook she created for child welfare professionals and volunteers to use with foster children. Most of the money went toward a professional illustrator. For the book, the artist used images Shah had taken while in the courtroom.
See NONPROFIT, Page 6
SANJANA SHAH/PROVIDED
Johns Creek High School senior Sanjana Shah holds a children’s book she wrote about a girl going through the court system, in front of the Judge Romae T. Powell Youth Justice Center. The book was the result of a service project she led, working with staff from the Fulton County Juvenile Court, Georgia Office of the Child Advocate, Fulton Superior Court and Georgia Court Appointed Special Advocates program to develop and create resources for children involved in the juvenile court system.
This kind of obstacle that I faced throughout my childhood made me very passionate about also helping other children who are in vulnerable family situations” SANJANA SHAH Founder, A Voice for Youth in Court
Caroline Nalisnick C: 404.513.9226 | Caroline@HOMEgeorgia.com
Sam DiVito C: 404.803.5999 | Sam@HOMEgeorgia.com
Allison Kloster C: 404.784.5287 | Allison@HOMEgeorgia.com