Laird Landon

Laird Landon and his co-author Glen Hinshaw, founded the Caregivers Support Foundation to ensure their work helping Caregivers would continue. Landon was a caregiver for his wife, Marilyn, for ten years before her death from pseudo bulbar palsy.  Landon had a long career as a university professors and a consultant and leader in marketing education for businesses worldwide. Landon pointed out in one of the Caregiver Support videos: “You reach a time when you can’t do it all.”   To ensure that their work continues and helps more and more caregivers, Landon and Hinshaw organized the Caregiver Support Foundation to coach and support caregivers. The foundation also makes it easier for folks to support their work financially.    “We have had some people offer financial support, but our LLC was not a good channel for receiving funds,” Landon said.    “I am, of course, excited that we came together to create something new — something to help caregivers,” Landon said. He adds that Glen’s condition was the catalyst. “We are so fulfilled and rewarded that we have been able to help others.”  

Cheryl Jennings, of Montrose, jumped at the chance to serve on the board of the new foundation.  “Why would I do this? Because I have walked in the caregivers’ shoes for several years. I continue on that path even though my husband is in a critical care facility,” said Jennings. She, too, knows the terror, the exhaustion and the feeling of utter helplessness that a caregiver experiences. “It is time for me to give back with the wisdom of my experiences, though it is hard to relive them,” Jennings said. “If I can make even one caregiver’s journey a wee bit easier, then I feel the need to step forward and do it!” 

Bill Bottomly said he became a caregiver without knowing what he was doing. His wife was changing and not for the better. They both assumed her behavior was part of the aging process — that is until an MRI in 2009 told the real cause. It was a silent ischemic stroke. Caregiving expanded to lifestyle management to prevent more strokes.  The damage from the first stroke caused continued deterioration. Dementia set in and eventually Bottomly found himself in an unsafe 24/7 monitoring and treatment regimen. It became time for placement in the Colorow Care Center in Olathe, where she has been since 2018. 

Melanie Fairlamb was born and raised in Delta, Colorado. She spent her life raising a family and teaching in Delta and Montrose Counties. She got her master’s degree in Guidance and Counseling from Colorado Western University. Her first educational job was at Columbine Jr. High in Montrose.  She eventually returned to the Delta school system where she taught American History and Psychology at Delta High for 22 years.  

She married Sky Fairlamb in 1969 and the two were married for 52 years before Judge Fairlamb succumbed to a lengthy bout with Parkinson’s Disease in April of 2022. 

Melanie’s first big hurdle was a debilitating stroke that hit her in 2008. That event left her with a paralyzed left side. “That was when I learned the value of group therapy,” she says. “My recovery was helped by my participation in Stokes Survivor Groups in Montrose and at St. Mary's

No sooner had she reached a moderate recovery of her own, than Melanie began the long journey through Sky’s illness. She was his caregiver for part of the time until he entered the Horizon facility, where he stayed until his passing.

“When my husband wound up in a care facility, I turned to the Caregiver Support Foundation (CSF) Group that Laird Landon and Glen Hinshaw had developed. I was encouraged by the work of CSF and attended a virtual group meeting while Sky was in the care facility,” she says. 

Melanie says she is honored to serve on the Caregiver Support Foundation board.  

Glen Hinshaw (deceased) is a Colorado Native who served in wildlife management for four decades.   Hinshaw and Landon met through a mutual friend at Glen's church. Both men found themselves lost along the painful and exhausting journey they shared.     “I had written a couple of books and had the idea to write another one with my friend Laird,” Hinshaw recalls. Hinshaw, recently diagnosed as a dementia patient, said that he and Landon, an author, retired professor, consultant, and public speaker, hatched a plan to offer help to the lost souls in the caregiver army.  “We thought it would be valuable if caregivers could share their experiences with others,” Landon said. “Caregiving is isolating, and most friends don’t understand how to help. We grieve every time our loved one loses a function or important memory. Glen and I help caregivers understand that it is normal to feel overwhelmed and that they are not alone. 

Ephraam Price is a native Texan who moved to Colorado in 2018. He has been an active supporter of caregivers for over 7 years and believes in both the Vision and Mission of the Caregivers Support Foundation. Ephraam has worked with the LeadingAge, Alzheimers Org., and Pioneer Network programs as a speaker and educator. Ephraam joined the Caregiver Support Foundation to help share his experiences with others. Ephraam is an outspoken advocate for caregivers and the challenges they face. Letting them know they are not alone. Ephraam’s focus is teaching the tools needed for continual engagement between caregiver and their loved ones. Ephraam believes in the support groups for all of those who find themselves in a caregiver role. “Through encouragement and knowing that there is help for you, these support groups bring a community together from a palace of feeling all alone.”.