Robert Shoenberg

Robert “Bob” Shoenberg lost his mother, Barbara, to Alzheimer’s in 1993. About 16 years prior, her once cheery and outgoing personality had given way to cognitive changes including irritability, confusion and hallucinations. Bob wasn’t aware of how bad things had gotten until the death of his father in 1982, when he and his late wife, Sue, took over caregiving duties.

Bob feels his mom’s physicians did everything they could at the time to help her, but little was known about Alzheimer’s and how to effectively treat and care for people living with the disease.

To help ensure other caregivers don’t face the same heartache, Bob has donated to the Alzheimer’s Association for more than 35 years. In 2021, Bob joined the Zenith Society with a gift to to create an Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care ECHO® (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) regional hub at George Washington University. The hub will help train Washington, D.C.-area doctors on how to better diagnose Alzheimer’s and develop effective care plans for their patients. The gift will also help expand outreach and training on dementia diagnosis and care for health systems in the nation’s capital.

Bob believes that families deserve clinicians and long-term care staff who are well trained and knowledgeable about dementia. He supports the Association because it is organized and strong enough to really make a difference and move the ball forward. “Every family should have peace of mind knowing that the people caring for their loved one are doing everything they can,” Bob says.