Lessons Learned from Traveling with Dementia

As we approach the gate area for our flight, Tracey turns to me anxiously . “You’ll go up and tell them, right?” So, I sidle up to the desk and murmur to the agent, “My companion has dementia. May we board with the early group?” They are always accommodating, and they aren’t supposed to ask, but it makes us both feel better to state ahead of time why two apparently healthy women need to pre-board. Forgive me. I used to look at the pre-boarding people and scan for frauds who just want to make sure their carry-on luggage gets into

Sitting down with Dr. Yakeel Quiroz

Neuroscientist Dr. Yakeel Quiroz was interviewed by the New York Times in November 2019 for a story on a woman with a very rare genetic mutation that has shielded her from getting dementia – despite the fact that she exhibits major neurological features of the disease. This is an extremely rare occurrence, and Dr. Quiroz was asked to comment on the reasons for it. Dr. Quiroz is a friend of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s and was willing to answer a few questions about her career and expertise, and about this particular story. *** JR: Latinas in neuroscience are rare! How did you come

A possible path to earlier detection of Alzheimer’s

Imagine a future in which healthcare providers conduct regular cognitive assessments of their patients, creating an information baseline that would enable them to better detect and diagnose Alzheimer’s at its earliest stages, potentially before symptoms even emerge.

Giving Tuesday: People Powering the Fight Against Alzheimer’s

Giving Tuesday is an important moment for nonprofit organizations, as the money raised over the course of one day can comprise a significant portion of their budgets for the following year. Just a single day of successful fundraising can be a huge step to help terrific organizations do 365 days of good.

Missing My Grandfather

While my grandfather’s Alzheimer’s may have taken away his memory, right now, it has no grasp on my memories of him.

The Changing Face of Caregiving in the 21st Century

November is National Alzheimer’s Month and Family Caregivers Month, offering an important opportunity to reflect on the changing role of caregiving and how dementia is shaping our nation’s care crisis. We kicked off this month with former first lady Rossalyn Carter and leaders from across the country at The Rosalynn Carter Institute’s Caregiving in the 21st Century Summit where we explored these themes. The Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving combined the traditional voices of health providers with more unconventional perspectives, including Sesame Street’s Rosita and award-winning journalist Judy Woodruff, to develop solutions to support our nation’s 40 million family caregivers

The prescription for an effective treatment or cure for Alzheimer’s: More research and cautious optimism

It’s been an exciting few weeks in the Alzheimer’s world – a world that hasn’t seen a new drug in 15 years. All of the activity has raised a lot of questions around the world’s progress towards a cure.

It’s time to pick up the pace on Alzheimer’s prevention

It’s time that we own up to a harsh reality: Our nation’s healthcare and economic systems are not prepared for the toll that dementia and Alzheimer’s are expected to take on America’s aging population. Given the latest trends in demographic data, there is growing concern that the U.S. is failing to focus on brain health and ways to potentially prevent the devastating impact of Alzheimer’s disease that is currently on pace to hit millions of American families. UsAgainstAlzheimer’s has been sounding the alarm on these issues, promoting more attention to brain health, and urging more aggressive steps on prevention. And

A road map for including Latinos and African Americans in Alzheimer’s research

* This piece originally appeared in STAT News. Alzheimer’s disease is the only leading cause of death in the U.S. that is still on the rise and that does not have a current effective treatment or cure. The limited inclusion of Latinos and African Americans in research will only worsen the outlook, though the success of efforts bubbling up across the country could help us keep up with the disease. The face of Alzheimer’s is changing, largely because the No. 1 risk factor for it is advanced age. By 2030, the number of Latinos age 65 and older will have

U.S. surgeons general: Dementia is our top public health crisis | Commentary

* This piece originally appeared in the Orlando Sentinal Over the span of more than 20 years and three presidents, as surgeons general we’ve confronted more than our fair share of devastating public health crises, from emerging infections like bird flu, SARS, the H1N1 pandemic, and Ebola, to the opioid crisis and national-preparedness issues like hurricanes and terrorist attacks. All of them are tragic. Each caused governments and private organizations to rally to understand the threat, inform the public, develop solutions, and minimize the impact as much as possible on American families and the economy. And as terrible as these