My big, Italian family revolved around my grandmother: a feisty daughter of immigrants fighting for the American dream in Queens, New York. No one was a stranger in her home; she cooked, laughed, and welcomed everyone. My mother joked that the boys she brought home ended up falling in love with my grandmother, instead. Always bold and unapologetic, Grandma would take us to the movie theater and shout commentary over the dialogue as we muffled our embarrassed laughter.
Then, something changed. In 2006, my once-lively grandmother was diagnosed with vascular dementia. It was devastating news, but it also finally answered questions we’d been asking for years. The woman who had always been the center of our family was beginning to shrink inward. My mother, her caregiver, did everything she could to preserve Grandma’s joyful spirit, but she grew quiet and withdrawn, overwhelmed by the very gatherings she’d once loved. My grandmother lived with dementia for nearly a decade before passing away in October 2016.
Watching her decline drew me into the fight against Alzheimers disease, the most common form of dementia and the only leading cause of death without a treatment option at that time. In 2012, I joined the Alzheimers Association, eventually serving as vice president of public policy and fighting for better policies for patients, families, and caregivers. Despite my advocacy, I felt powerless to meaningfully change the course of disease for patients in my grandmothers generation. What they needed was more research into Alzheimers and related dementias that yielded better care options.
ALZHEIMER’S STOLE PIECES OF OUR LIVES. A NEW TREATMENT IS GIVING US A FIGHTING CHANCE
At the time, research into diagnostics and disease-modifying treatments was tremendously weak. Experts from institutions like Northwestern and the University of Florida clamored for increased funding for Alzheimers research, while I traveled with patient advocates to Tallahassee and Washington, D.C., to garner support for desperately needed investment and better policy. We knew it was too late for many, but hoped the next generation would have better options.
Amazingly, advocacy from all corners of the country led to greater investment in research, and the past decade has yielded innovations that are transforming what is possible for people facing Alzheimers today.
ALZHEIMER’S BLOOD TESTS MAY PREDICT SYMPTOMS YEARS IN ADVANCE, BUT EXPERTS URGE CAUTION
New blood tests can identify the biological signs of Alzheimer’s years before dementia becomes obvious, making earlier diagnosis possible. Emerging research is showing that simple lifestyle interventions can help support cognitive health as we age, especially when instituted early.Â
We now have the first treatments shown to slow cognitive decline in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. And promising next-generation clinical trials are exploring whether treating the disease even earlierâbefore significant symptoms developâcould delay or prevent cognitive decline.
These breakthroughs are transformative. For years, our challenge was advancing the science. Now, our challenge is ensuring patients can access these advances. That is the challenge Im now focused on addressing.
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