Deborah Lynn Strafuss, Neighbor

Deborah Lynn has walked an 18-year journey through Alzheimer’s with her mother. As a lyrical poet and writer, she expresses and interprets her experience of life through the artistry of words, and has used this gift to bring us their story.

A mother of 5 and proud grandmother of 10, Deborah has been a successful business manager, accounting, and office professional for many years. As her mother’s journey unfolded it created new paths and reconnected old ones, changing the course and direction of her life as she became focused around the impact of Alzheimer’s on her family and in the world.

Her personal journey with her mother lead her to energy and healing work as she sought to find ways to work holistically with the devastation of Alzheimer’s disease. She became a Reiki Master and Teacher and a Certified Dementia Practitioner and is an advocate of Reiki for Alzheimer's and Caregivers. Deborah has been a member of the Metro West Alzheimer's Partnership for the last 5 years. She leads a Longest Day, Reiki for Alzheimer’s and Caregivers fundraising team, has been a team leader and volunteer for the Alzheimer’s Walk, is a caregiver support group facilitator, an Alzheimer’s Advocate and member of the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement, helping advocate with political leaders for funding and programs to support the Alzheimer’s Association’s vision of a World Without Alzheimer’s.

As an experienced open mic presenter, Deborah has appeared on “Wake Up and Smell the Poetry” and other local open mic programs, where she learned and perfected her craft of sharing her heart through her poetry. A prolific writer, she blogs regularly about Alzheimer’s and Reiki and recently appeared on the New England Authors cable show to share her story.