Deaths from Alzheimer’s have increased 141% since 2020, with the global pandemic adversely affecting those with Alzheimer’s and their families. Dr. Kay Lehmann, Board Chair of the Alzheimer’s Association in the state of Washington, joins Suzanne Newman to talk about all that the Alzheimer’s Association does to help those with the disease.
Kay says, “First and probably the most important is, we give money to researchers. We have researchers in 54 countries right now who are working on how to diagnose and treat Alzheimer’s, and eventually [find] a cure. We also do programs virtually or in person, everything from 10 warning signs and healthy living for your brain and body to how to talk about dementia and, and how to talk to people with dementia. all sorts of programs. We have care coordinators who help families. We do advocacy. We raise a lot of money, we raise $100 million a year right now at the walk, but we also advocate for research to be done by the government. I do a memory cafe where people with dementia get out of the house and just come and have coffee with somebody and have a friendly conversation. We have lots of programs and lots of things we do. We have a lot of information on our website at alz.org, and you can do all kinds of research about this on our website.
They also have a care line at 800-272-3900. Kay says, “The helpline is staffed by masters level clinicians. So these are not just people reading stuff that they don’t understand. These are people who really understand this disease, and if they can, help caregivers and people with the disease, or people who are just curious about the disease. But usually you’re in crisis at 3 a.m. on Christmas morning. And it is 24 hours, seven day a week, 365 days in the year.”
Visit alz.org/walk and enter your zip code to find the Walk nearest you to register or donate. Check out alz.org to learn more. Reach master level clinicians at their 24/7 help line at 800-272-3900.
Hear more podcasts about the Walks: https://answersforelders.com/tag/alzheimers-walks/
* Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/
