My dad got Alzheimer's when I was in my 30s. Here's what I wish I'd known.

Kathleen Korpela wished she were more prepared for her father's diagnosis. Kathleen Korpela Kathleen Korpela's dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer's when she was in her mid-30s. She explains what she learned in the years since, including how to talk about it with her kids. She said it was tough to navigate the transition from adult child to parenting her parent. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Kathleen Korpela, founder of Living Goldenwell. The following has been edited for length and clarity. My father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in his early 70s, when I was in my mid-30s with a 4-year-old and a baby, getting ready to go back to work after maternity leave . It was around eight years from my father's diagnosis until his passing in October 2024.