Leeza Gibbons
FOR TEN YEARS Leeza Gibbons and her two
siblings watched helplessly as their mother,
Gloria Jean Gibbons, slipped slowly behind
what Leeza calls the “veil of Alzheimer’s.”
“I saw my sister get depressed, my brother go
into denial, and my father become isolated,”
says Gibbons, 52, the host of radio’s Holly-
wood Confidential. Her solution: to become
an advocate on behalf
of caregivers. In 2004
she cofounded The
Leeza Gibbons Memory
Foundation with James
Huysman, Psy. D., to provide caregivers with
resources for ensuring their own health and
well-being. At Leeza’s Place centers in Texas,
Florida, California, New York, and Illinois—
there are eight centers in all—caregivers are
teamed with a Leeza’s Care Advocate who
helps them navigate the maze of issues that
come with a loved one’s diagnosis. Says
Gibbons, “It’s not just about the person who
has that disease but everyone who loves and
cares for that person.” —J.D.M.
VOICE OF THE
CAREGIVER
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
Eheart plays
checkers with
Hope Meadows
residents Brandon
Davis, 12, and
Lynn Podoll.
Gibbons chats with caregivers at he Circle of Care clinic in Los Angeles.
BrendaKrauseEheart
FIFTEEN YEARS AGO Brenda Eheart was starting a com-
munity for parents adopting foster children and was
negotiating to get 12 homes on a former Air Force base.
“Instead, I got 80. So I thought, ‘Maybe we could have
retirees move into the neighbor-
hood and offer reduced rent in ex-
change for helping with the kids.’ ”
Today, Hope Meadows is a widely
regarded model for intergenera-
tional life and Eheart, 65, is helping to replicate it across
the country, thanks to $8 million in grants from the W. K.
Kellogg Foundation. “At Hope Meadows everything is
about assets,” says the foundation’s Ted Chen. “What
do older people have to give kids? How do kids help
seniors? It’s a win-win.” —S. M. ;
BRIDGE FOR
GENERATIONS
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
