Pause for purple
Choose one moment each day to stop, breathe, and reset before reacting or rushing forward.
Home of the Purple Pause Challenge.
Purple Pause Foundation
Raising awareness for young-onset Alzheimer’s, dementia, caregiver burnout, and the families who need their communities to notice, learn, and show up.
The cause
Awareness is only the beginning.
The Purple Pause Challenge was created to raise awareness about dementia (100+ forms), caregiver burnout, young-onset Alzheimer’s, and the urgent need for community support and caregiver resources.
The challenge
Pause. Reflect. Pass it on.
Name the need
Ask yourself or someone nearby: What would help right now? A breath, a word, a call, a quiet minute?
Invite one person
Share the challenge with a friend, class, team, or family member and keep the pause moving.
Caregiver & Alzheimer’s Resources
You are not alone. Start here.
No one should have to navigate Alzheimer’s disease alone. These organizations, educators, and support communities can help families facing dementia, caregiving exhaustion, grief, and the search for answers.
Whether you are newly diagnosed, a long-term caregiver, a healthcare professional, or simply trying to understand what your loved one is experiencing, these resources may help guide your next step.
Education & Caregiving Support
Practical places to learn, connect, and feel less alone in the day-to-day reality of dementia care.
Lorenzo’s House
A community focused on younger-onset dementia families, emotional support, caregiver connection, and healing-centered programs.
Visit Lorenzo’s HouseAlzheimer’s Association
National education, 24/7 helpline support, care resources, local chapters, and information for families navigating Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
Get helpline supportPositive Approach to Care
Practical dementia education and caregiving techniques designed to improve communication, reduce frustration, and create more compassionate care experiences.
Learn from Teepa SnowResearch & Medical Support
Clinical, research, and medical education resources for families seeking trustworthy next steps.
IU School of Medicine Alzheimer’s Programs
Research initiatives, clinical studies, and advancements in Alzheimer’s and dementia care through Indiana University.
Explore IU researchIndiana Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Giving
Supports Alzheimer’s and dementia research, education, and community outreach through IU School of Medicine.
Support IADRC workSupport for Caregivers
Guidance for caregivers balancing daily responsibilities, emotional strain, decision-making, and burnout.
Family Caregiver Alliance
Tools, education, stress management resources, and support specifically for caregivers balancing daily responsibilities and emotional strain.
Find caregiver supportNational Institute on Aging
Trusted medical information, caregiving guidance, symptom explanations, and research updates from the National Institutes of Health.
Read NIA guidanceAdvocacy & Awareness
Organizations helping stories become action, policy attention, and stronger support systems.
Voices of Alzheimer’s
Advocacy efforts focused on awareness, storytelling, caregiver experiences, and improving support systems for families impacted by Alzheimer’s disease.
Visit Voices of Alzheimer’sA personal note
This website was created from lived experience.
Not from textbooks. Not from statistics alone. If you are here because someone you love is changing before your eyes, I hope you find understanding, support, education, and moments of peace along the way.
Please continue reaching out, learning, asking questions, and sharing your story. Awareness grows one conversation at a time.
Lyle’s story
When the answer is more than stress.
Looking back, we suspect Lyle’s young-onset Alzheimer’s may have been starting around 2009. He was not diagnosed until 2023, at age 57. During those years between, we hit wall after wall trying to understand what was happening and find help for both of us.
Purple Pause exists because families should not have to fight alone for someone to look deeper. If you know something is wrong, keep asking questions. Stress can be real, but it should not become the final answer when changes continue, worsen, or do not fit the person you know.
Changes to Notice
These are not a diagnosis, but they are worth writing down and bringing to a doctor, especially when they persist or affect daily life.
Memory or confusion that disrupts life
Repeated questions, missed appointments, getting lost, trouble following familiar routines, or needing unusual reminders.
Work, money, or task changes
New trouble organizing, solving problems, handling bills, using tools, managing steps, or completing work that used to be routine.
Personality, mood, or judgment shifts
Withdrawal, anxiety, anger, suspicion, impulsive choices, or changes that loved ones can see but are hard to explain.
Advocacy & Help Now
Families need earlier answers, faster access to care, and support for caregivers before they are completely exhausted.
Support the BRIDGE Act
Voices of Alzheimer’s is advocating for the BRIDGE for Young-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease Act of 2025, H.R. 6799. The bill is intended to remove the five-month Social Security disability wait and the 24-month Medicare coverage delay for people diagnosed with young-onset Alzheimer’s.
Call or write your U.S. Representative and Senators. Tell them families facing young-onset Alzheimer’s should not have to wait 29 months for Medicare coverage after qualifying for disability.
Ask about Medicare’s GUIDE Model
Medicare’s GUIDE Model is designed to improve dementia care for people living at home and support unpaid caregivers. Depending on the participating provider and eligibility, services may include care navigation, caregiver education, a 24/7 support line, connections to community resources, and respite support.
Ask a doctor, neurologist, memory clinic, or Medicare provider whether GUIDE services are available in your area and whether your family may qualify.
Read CMS GUIDE information
Need help right now?
If you or someone you love is in suicidal crisis, emotional distress, or a mental health or substance-use crisis, call or text 988 in the United States for free, confidential support 24/7. If there is immediate danger, call 911.
Your pledge
Make your pause visible.
Add your name to this browser-based pledge counter. It stays on this device for now, which makes it perfect for an early launch while the movement gathers stories, partners, and practical support.
Purple Pause Foundation
Beginning with care, clarity, and community.
Purple Pause Foundation is in the early planning stage and has not yet filed for nonprofit status. Right now, the focus is on shaping the mission, listening to families and caregivers, and building a thoughtful foundation for the work ahead.
The Purple Pause Challenge can still begin as an awareness movement: a way to invite conversation, encourage caregiver support, and help communities understand that dementia affects far more than memory.
Status note: Purple Pause Foundation has not yet filed for nonprofit status. This site does not represent tax-deductible fundraising, and formal donation or sponsorship details will come later.
Support and resources
Help the movement grow in the right way.
Connect with Purple Pause
Purple Pause Foundation is still in the early planning stage. Reach out if you want to share a story, ask about the challenge, suggest a community partner, or help shape future resources.
Contact Purple Pause Not yet filed as a nonprofit. No tax-deductible donation claims are being made at this stage.Voices of Alzheimer’s
Voices of Alzheimer’s supports people affected by Alzheimer’s through advocacy, resources, and opportunities to share their stories.
Donate to Voices of Alzheimer’s Voices of Alzheimer’s states that it is a 501(c)(4). Donations are not tax deductible as charitable contributions.Ways to help
Bring the pause to your people.
Start a group challenge
Use Purple Pause at a meeting, classroom, practice, service, or family gathering.
Partner locally
Invite the foundation to collaborate with schools, care groups, workplaces, and community leaders.
Sponsor launch needs
Ask about practical support for materials, events, outreach, and future programming.
Join in
Ready to take the Purple Pause?
Send a note to the foundation to join the challenge, ask about partnerships, or help prepare for launch.