On Wednesday, Nov. 5 at 3 p.m. in the Wick Poetry Area, Constance Longmire will be the discussing her book, “I Miss Talking To You,” at the upcoming Kent Reads event.

Longmire is the community involvement coordinator at the Kent State Regional Academic Center and a professor at Kent State’s Geauga branch. She wrote “I Miss Talking to You” to provide a resource for caregivers of loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, and penned the book upon her mother’s transition into dementia.

“I’m very excited about bringing awareness to two things: one is dementia and Alzheimer’s and two is bringing attention to caregivers,” Longmire said. “Caregiving can be sometimes taken for granted, that it’s a person’s obligation. It’s a lot of work. Until my family and I went through it, my heart goes out to every caregiver.”

Longmire said she hopes students come to gain more knowledge and to understand the truth.

“You don’t want to go through college just with book knowledge and not understanding the world,” Longmire said. “I will give them insight into how to understand this disease.”

Longmire said Alzheimer’s disease and dementia are one of the fastest growing causes of death in the world.

“If they know someone who is experiencing that, as soon as they see the signs, take them to the doctor, get them on medication and put plans into place as to how you can care for them,” Longmire said.

November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month and National Caregiver Month, and Longmire will be giving away purple ribbons to attendees and white ribbons for caregivers.

For more information regarding the Kent Reads event, please visit http://www.kent.edu/events/kent-home/kent-reads-dr-constance-longmire-141105.

Contact Olivia Young at [email protected].