CLARKS GREEN, LACKAWANNA CO. (WOLF) — Approximately 7.2 million Americans 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s, a disease that is transforming lives and families nationwide, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
Among that number, many are working daily to stay engaged and maintain an active lifestyle.
One local man is pushing past those challenges, dedicating his time to community groups and organizations that support others facing the same diagnosis.
Rob and Diane Kennedy of Clarks Green experienced a life-changing year in 2024, when Rob was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, a progressive, irreversible brain disease that gradually damages memory, thinking, and the ability to carry out everyday tasks.
Now 59 years old, he’s learning new ways to navigate daily life while also supporting others in the community facing the same diagnosis.
A former systems control engineer, Rob recalled the moment he realized something was wrong, when a task he once handled with ease left him needing to ask a coworker for help.
“He asked, ‘Could he try?’ And I said, ‘Yes sure, go ahead.’ And he went in there, and he fixed it within two minutes. I said ‘What did you do, where did you learn that?’ And he said, ‘You taught me.’ That’s when I knew I had a problem,” said Rob Kennedy.
Rob admitted he was hesitant to seek support at first, but says it ultimately made a significant difference.
“Diane gave me the push that I needed to at least give it a try. And one turned out to be really a lot of fun. And then she found another one, and that was that other a lot of fun. She always looked for things for me to do while she was at work so that I could not just be here,” said Rob Kennedy.
“We started with the Hillside Senior Center in Clarks Summit. And he had gone there and done meditation and yoga there. And then somewhere I learned about memory cafes, because although we didn’t have a diagnosis at the time, he really thought that it was a memory issue, a cognitive issue,” said Diane Kennedy.
Rob now gives back by regularly connecting with others living with cognitive impairment.
“It’s not about talking to them. It’s about giving them comfort to talk to you. I really like doing what I do. I think it’s the best job I have ever had. And it’s the worst job in pay. I get paid absolutely nothing,” said Rob Kennedy.
Embracing new skills, Rob has taken up oil painting and is learning to play the guitar. He told us that he wanted to pick back up the guitar, and that he had one of his own, along with a guitar that his father gave to him before he passed.
Dedicating a special song to his wife Diane, Rob played “I Walk the Line” by Johnny Cash.
“I learned very quickly trying to re-learn what I lost is absolutely useless because all you do is make yourself miserable. Because I know how to do this, but I don’t know how to do it. I just decided, maybe I can learn how to use this thing. The doctor said that learning something that you never knew how to do is perfectly good,” said Rob Kennedy.
Diane said that shortly before Rob’s diagnosis, the FDA approved LEQEMBI, a treatment for early Alzheimer’s, which has also helped him.
“It’s hard to know if that’s made a difference. But I would like to believe that, yes, it has certainly made a difference in extending this mild cognitive impairment phase of this disease,” said Diane Kennedy.
Rob and Diane also stressed the importance of Alzheimer’s awareness, early detection, and treatments that can slow its progression.