Donna Brown Benton

Professionally, Donna Brown Benton is a master-degreed educator who, for over four decades, taught middle and high school students, as well as adults. Donna served in both parochial and public schools as a teacher and curriculum administrator.

Mid-career, Benton’s life took an unexpected turn when her husband, Doug, was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s dementia at age fifty.

Their memoir, Illuminating The Alzheimer’s Path, shares her lived experience of sixteen years as she companioned Doug as both wife and caregiver, as well as their two teenage daughters, through a journey none of them could have imagined.

Though retired from classroom teaching, the author’s current calling is to continue educating. Along their Alzheimer’s journey, Donna came to believe that changing the way we think about dementia changes the way we experience it. Thus, through writing and sharing her memoir, Benton hopes to educate, empower, and encourage those on the Alzheimer’s path to transform their experience as well.