Alzheimer's and Dementia

Amy Schenk, community engagement lead at the Neuropsychiatric Research Center of Southwest Florida, joins Suzanne courtesy of Athira Pharma to talk about handling caregiver...

Family dynamics: how to be the most supportive and work well in the care of a senior loved one with Alzheimer's. It's more complex...

Dr. Shawn Weiss joins Suzanne to talk about Alzheimer's and dementia studies with an eye towards prevention. She discusses the FINGER survey (Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability) and ongoing global studies that study 12 modifiable risk factors: hypertension, smoking, type-2 diabetes, obesity, social isolation, alcohol, lessened cognitive activity, lower education levels, hearing loss, head injuries, lifestyle (physical activity and exercise), and air pollution.

This segment continues the conversation about how Alzheimer's disease progresses. Suzanne Newman joins Dr. Cherian Verghese to talk about a special program for those who are in the beginning or medium stages of Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Verghese is Principal Researcher at Keystone Clinical Studies LLC in the Philadelphia area. In earlier stages, people can be helped at home with assisted living, with family support. Going into moderate or severe dementia, we'd need in-home care and at some stages institutional care. It's physically demanding to help someone with their activities of daily living. Sadly, African Americans are twice as likely, and Latinos about one and a half times as likely, than in Caucasians. They are disproportionately affected, but participation was lower in trials, making it hard to extrapolate drug trial results.

The statistics, especially in Washington State, are startling when it comes to how the disease of Alzheimer’s is projected to affect our population if...

Certified Dementia Practitioner Amy Schenk joins Suzanne from Cape Coral, Florida, courtesy of Athira Pharma to talk about the impacts of the pandemic on families and people with Alzheimer’s disease. Amy also educates in both Assisted Living and Long Term Care environments.

The Walk to End Alzheimer's is the world's largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer's care, support and research. Sign up as a Team Captain, join a team or walk as an individual. This month, Answers for Elders supports the Walks and fundraising for the Alzheimer's Association. This episode, we feature an interview conducted in September 2019 with Carrie McBride, director of marketing and communications for the Alzheimer's Association, Washington Chapter.

Amy Schenk, community engagement lead at the Neuropsychiatric Research Center of Southwest Florida, joins Suzanne courtesy of Athira Pharma to talk about cutting-edge clinical trials. She educates, represents, supports and encourages people to take care of their brains. They talk about the stress of caregiving and risks for Alzheimer's disease. Preventative measures that are good for your heart are also good for your brain. Adequate sleep, a good diet, and hydration are important. Set healthy boundaries for yourself as a caregiver.

In this segment, Alzheimer's disease and dementia expert Dr. Danielle Goldfarb talks about clinical trials. Dr. Goldfarb is a neurologist and psychiatrist, as well as a physician researcher at Banner Sun Health Research Center in Sun Sun City, Arizona. Clinical trials in an option for some patients, and it’s beneficial to participate. Dr. Goldfarb talks about what happens when you're considering taking part to help determine whether a newly-developed drug is safe, well-tolerated and effective.

Carol Rosenstein joins Suzanne to talk about Rotary programs and other ways you can get involved with the Music Mends Minds program.