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Meet Your Neighbor: Michael DiAsio
By Callie Thomas
“Age is strictly a case of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” – Jack Benny
There’s a funny thing about aging; as you grow older, it’s easier to remember what you did twenty years ago than it is to remember what you wore the day before. Aging seems to be a growing trend in the community and Southern Nevada. The U.S. Census Bureau reported in their 2010 study that the number of seniors has grown in the past decade due to aging baby boomers, with 14.4% of people in Clark County over the age of 62, and the post-World War II generation has now reached age 65. The need for specialized elderly care continues to rise as our residents age, and 89074 resident Michael DiAsio has taken a personal approach to assisting maturing residents and their families through the Visiting Angels care giving business, which is a family business for DiAsio.
Although there are a total of 225 caregivers among the two locations, DiAsio’s wife Jackie and three of their children and their son-in-law work in the offices. Each day, they help an average of 450 seniors who need assistance with the activities of daily living such as personal hygiene, meal preparation and light housekeeping. They partner with other health care professionals such as the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and provide in-home care for many individuals who suffer from memory loss issues such as Alzheimer’s disease.
DiAsio has not only committed himself to serving the needs of the aging through his business, but he also assists on caregiving committees in an advisory capacity and has most recently become involved with the Clark County Alzheimer’s Action Network, who intends to make Alzheimer’s disease a community priority and provide high quality care and services for those who need it most. Michael DiAsio gave us some insight into how Alzheimer’s disease is affecting our community and why he’s passionate about improving the quality of life for Southern Nevada seniors.
Visiting Angels, which is the largest senior care giving franchise in Southern Nevada, is very involved in the care and treatment of Alzheimer’s patients.
“Yes. Believe it or not, in the last ten years, our caregivers have served more than 1.5 million hours of in-home care across the Las Vegas Valley. This includes care for those with Alzheimer’s disease. It is as devastating for those it affects as for their families and friends.”
Can you tell us more about the disease and how it occurs?
“Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia and accounts for 60-70 percent of all cases. Alzheimer’s and other dementias are progressive, degenerative illnesses that attack the brain. They affect people’s abilities, impacting on all aspects of their life and upon others in their lives, particularly those who care for them.”
According to statistics, the numbers of those affected are rising.
“Yes. In Nevada, it is expected that by 2025, there will be twice the number of people with Alzheimer’s disease that there were in 2000. In the U.S., someone develops Alzheimer’s disease every 69 seconds.”
The services of your company and the work you are doing with the Clark County Alzheimer’s Action Network seems to be more important than ever.
“Yes, it is very important, as I think that Alzheimer’s will be the ‘disease of our generation.’ Every month, CCAAN (with some 40 medical and charitable leaders) makes progress on developing strategies for educating the healthcare community and the public. We as a society need to work together to ‘get our arms around it’ to improve everyone’s quality of life. The first meeting was last November. In addition to making Alzheimer’s disease a priority for the community, we are collaborating to promote a cure and educate the public on how to modify their lifestyle to reduce their risk of obtaining Alzheimer’s.”
Why is it important for you to give back to those in need?
“I’ve always had a strong desire to improve whatever I’m involved with and help others solve problems. Having a loved one with Alzheimer’s and caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s is extremely difficult and stressful to the family. Additionally, this disease is becoming more prevalent at a rapid pace. It is important to improve the lives of every individual we touch, which in turn improves the entire community. We are all in this together.”
What would you say you are most passionate about in your life?
“My family and friends. Italians outgrow clothes, not people.”
There does seem to be a common thread with family throughout your life and your business. How do you personally unplug after what must be a very busy day?
“A glass of Chianti and an old movie like Diner.”
