JJ and Tim Jordan were caregivers for both sets of their parents, three of whom lived with dementia. They live in Colorado, and became members of the Founders Society when they included the Alzheimer's Association in their estate plans.

One day, JJ Jordan's phone rang. It was a team member from the Alzheimer's Association.

JJ and her husband Tim had been working with Jackie to manage caregiving for Tim's mother and father, as well as JJ's mother. All three were experiencing various levels of dementia.

"I said, 'Hi, what can I do for you?'" JJ remembers. "They say, 'No, no no. I'm calling to see how you are.'"

JJ was shocked by the question.

"I just broke down and cried, because I had pretty much lost my identity at some point along the way," she says. "I thought, 'Me? Me? I haven't thought about me for ages.'"

JJ and Tim were caregivers for their parents for 16 years.

"We've all known about Alzheimer's for a long time, but I don't think you'd really think about it too much until it becomes personal," Tim says. 

His mother was the first of the parents to be diagnosed with the disease, and he still remembers her reaction.

"I remember her starting to cry and just saying, 'I'm sorry, I'm losing my mind,'" he says. 

The doctor told them to do two things: Go home and have a good cry, and then call the Alzheimer's Association. They did both.

JJ's mother began showing signs of dementia a year later, and Tim's father after that. The couple began caring for their parents, just as their parents had once cared for them. She and Tim say that the Association was a critical lifeline for them throughout their time as caregivers.

"I would not have survived without the Association," JJ says. "We just never felt alone."

Tim says that his parents' experience has made him reflect on his own health and risk for dementia.

"When you have two parents with Alzheimer's, somewhere in your mind you're thinking, 'What do I need to be worried about? How should I be living?'" Tim says. "I try to take care of myself, but it's always a concern."

JJ feels the same.

"We know the 10 risk factors and the 10 risk reducers and the 10 warning signs by heart and we take it pretty seriously," she says. "Life is for living. So I'm not saying that we never enjoy a glass of wine, but it's in moderation."

Both of the Jordans have seen a marked improvement when it comes to how people talk about and treat Alzheimer's and other dementia.

"There's so much more positive than there was," Tim says. "I think it used to just be thought of as a lost cause. Now, there's reasons to be optimistic."

JJ adds that people now seem more willing to talk about dementia, and the introduction of new treatments and research on risk reduction offer real hope.

"I think the stigma is really improving," JJ she says. "People are talking about it, and we're living in the era of treatment, which is fabulous. We're also living in the era of risk reduction."

The family's experience cemented a lifelong connection to the organization, leading them to include the Alzheimer's Association in their estate plans.

"Now that we went through all of this, I know what people are going through and I know how much they need that help," Tim explains. "So hopefully whatever we end up leaving will help support families like ours."

The Jordans' generous commitment makes them members of the Founders Society, created to recognize and honor those extraordinary people who leave a gift to the Association in their estate plans. 

"I think having some kind of charitable giving in your estate is something people ought to think about because everyone can do it," Tim says. "Of course, it doesn't need to be the entire estate like we are doing, but leaving a gift shows you care about the cause."

JJ thinks about their investment in the Alzheimer's Association as an investment in her best friend: her brain.

"My brain is my best friend, my BFF forever," she says. "There isn't much that I'm not going to do for my best friend. So that means my pocketbook, and that means lifestyle changes. I don't have a second glass of wine, although I might want one. I exercise every morning even though I don't love the treadmill, but I'm on it. I am learning everything I can about this. … At this point in my life, this is just what you do for your best friend, and that's my brain."

And in JJ's opinion, giving to support brain health through your estate can hold special significance.

"I can't think of a better gift that you could leave to your heirs than brain health, helping to fix this before it's ever their turn," she says. "It's the best gift you could give anybody."

What do the Jordans hope their gift will achieve? It's simple: "A world without Alzheimer's is the legacy that we would like to leave behind."