Gincy Heins

Gincy is a teacher, author, and volunteer as well as caregiver and advocate for her husband who was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment in 2009 when he was 55.

Gincy created and edited "Before the Diagnosis: Stories of Life and Love Before Dementia" to help share the stories of people and the amazing life they lived before being diagnosed with any type of dementia. After several requests from people who wanted to write about their loved one, she followed it up with "Before the Diagnosis: More Stories of Life and Love Before Dementia." All of the sales from these two books are donated to non-profit organizations involved with Alzheimer's.

Gincy is one of the five authors of the "365 Caregiving Tips" series of books. These four books of practical tips from everyday caregivers cover general caregiving, travel and respite, hospitals, care facilities and hospice, and caring for yourself.

With Gincy's assistance, her husband wrote the chapter, "Steve’s Story: Living with Mild Cognitive Impairment" in the book "Psychosocial Studies of the Individual’s Changing Perspectives in Alzheimer’s Disease" (Dick-Muehlke, Li, and Orleans).

Currently Gincy teaches a weekly class, "Games for Brains" in her city's Senior Center where she also serves as a Senior Citizens Commissioner. Since 2010 she has taught classes for seniors in senior centers and residential facilities, volunteered for Alzheimer’s Orange County, the Orange County Public Library system, spcaLA, and Boy Scouts of America. She has a team that participates each year in the Alzheimer's Orange County fundraising walk. As an Alzheimer's Orange County volunteer, Gincy has manned the table at health fairs and other events and has held writing classes for early stage Alzheimer’s patients and their care partners.

You can connect with Gincy on Facebook (G-j Heins), Twitter (@GincyHeins), Instagram (gincyheins) and on her website, gincyheins.com.