Early-onset Alzheimer’s affects nearly 200,000 Americans under the age of 65 years old. Behind that number are families doing the impossible — raising children, working full-time, and suddenly learning how to care for someone whose memory is slipping far sooner than expected. But within these difficult journeys, there is also resilience, love, and unexpected hope.
For Amanda, it began quietly. Her husband, Matt, started forgetting familiar roads, repeating questions, and losing track of everyday tasks. At first, they brushed it off as stress. But as the months passed, the changes grew harder to explain away. The man everyone loved, and who helped to keep their busy home running, began struggling to finish sentences or follow simple instructions. Finally, after years of searching for answers, the diagnosis came: early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Matt was only 53.
The news was heartbreaking — but it also brought clarity. Amanda finally understood why her husband, the father of their seven children, had been changing in ways that frightened them all. Life did not pause for the diagnosis. There were still lunches to pack, teenagers to guide, little ones to comfort, and bills to pay. As Matt’s symptoms progressed, he needed constant care. Exhaustion, fear, and loneliness pressed in from every side.
And yet, this is where hope entered.
A medical provider told Amanda about Memory Matters Utah, a nonprofit that supports families navigating memory loss. Feeling desperate, she made the call — and was met not with judgment, but with understanding. Staff members listened, guided her through resources, and helped her enroll Matt in the Memory Activity Club; a warm, welcoming day program designed specifically for people living with dementia.
The difference was immediate.
Matt no longer spends his days sleeping in bed. Now, four days a week, Matt spends his time surrounded by people who see the person behind the diagnosis. He sings familiar songs, plays cognitive games, exercises, paints, and even enjoys visits from therapy puppies. He laughs again — really laughs — and those moments of joy have become priceless. Memory Matters provides free transportation each day, lifting a huge burden off Amanda’s shoulders.
For her, those hours of respite are more than just a break. They are a lifeline. Time to catch up on chores, attend appointments, focus on her children, breathe, and rediscover her own strength. She no longer feels like she is carrying the weight of this diagnosis alone.
Memory Matters Utah also offers caregiver education, consultations, and support groups. Through these, Amanda found something she didn’t realize she was missing: community. Other caregivers understood her frustrations, her grief, her exhaustion — and her love. “It felt like someone turned the lights back on,” she said. “I finally felt seen.”
There is no cure for Alzheimer’s, but research shows that early diagnosis, structure, social engagement, and cognitive activity help improve quality of life. Memory Matters Utah makes that possible for families like the Barlows.
Today, Amanda and her children face each day with courage. There are still hard moments, but there is also laughter, connection, and support. Alzheimer’s may have changed their path, but it has not taken their hope — and thanks to a caring community, we hope it never will.
Group support for children with parents of early-onset dementia:
Lorenzo's House Lorenzoshouse.org
More information on Alzheimer's Disease:
Alzheimer's Association alz.org
Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia Research Center (USU) cehs.usu.edu/adrc/
Additional resource- specifically for caretakers:
aarp.org/pri/topics/ltss/family-caregiving/caregiving-in-the-us-2025/