The Future of Alzheimer’s: Progress, Promise, and Support

You’re listening to Boomers Today with your host Frank Samson. Well, welcome to Boomers Today. I’m your host, Frank Samson. Of course, each week we’re bringing important and very useful information on issues facing baby boomers, their parents, and other loved ones.

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Today. We have with us Katie Evans Katie as Chief Programs and Mission Engagement Officer. Katie provides strategic leadership for the Alzheimer’s Association’s national portfolio of programs that advance brain health and dementia risk reduction, expand early deduction into diagnosis, accelerate treatment readiness, and ensure individuals and families receive high quality care and support. Her work bridge is science, systems, change and community translating research progress into scalable real world impacts.

So, Katie, thank you so much for joining us on Boomers today. Really appreciate it. It’s just a pleasure to have you on the show. I appreciate it so much.

Frank, I’m so glad to be here as well. That’s great, that’s great, happy to have you. So, you know, boy, I just I could probably talk to you for a few hours on this subject matter, but I know we don’t have that much time. But there’s a lot of questions I have for you, and I thought maybe we just start out talking about maybe misconceptions people have about Alzheimer’s about dementia.

What are some of those biggest misconceptions you think people have. I think that’s a great question, and there really are a lot. But I’d say that the three that I hear the most. The first one is only older people get Alzheimer’s, and that’s not true.

You know, well, most people are diagnosed, they are over sixty five. There are younger onset Alzheimer’s that can affect people in their forties and fifties as well. Another thing I hear a lot, another misconception is that if Alzheimer’s runs in your family, you’re definitely going to get it. And I would say that family history can increase risk, but it does not guarantee someone will develop Alzheimer’s.

So really, genetics is only part of the story. And then one I hear the most often is, you know, a diagnosis means life is over and or there is no hope, And I would say that many people live meaningful, productive lives for years after diagnosis. You know, early diagnosis really does allow individuals and families to plan, to access support, they can participate in research, they can pursue treatment options, and there is hope. In one of the most transformative periods in Alzheimer’s history, we now have blood tests that can help detect Alzheimer’s pathology, We have treatments that can slow disease progression, and right now there are more than one hundred and fifty therapies being studied in clinical trials.

So that’s what I would say the biggest misconception about Alzheimer’s there’s that nothing can be done. But we’ve really entered this new era and it’s a really exciting time. You know, and I know that you know, we keep referring to Alzheimer’s. All right, maybe you could clarify for our listeners.

You know, I talk about this a lot on my show, but I don’t think we could do it enough. And that’s explaining that people maybe the difference between Alzheimer’s and dementia, you know, dementia and Alzheimer’s being a form of dementia. But maybe you could talk about that. And as relates to the Alzheimer’s associations, not just Alzheimer’s your I guess looking to raise money for and you’re involved in other types of dementia as well.

Correct, we are, we are, And you know Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia, which is a general term for memory loss and other cognitive abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for sixty to eighty percent of dementia cases. Yeah, and so as relates to people are listen, I’m sure you get it all the time. I certainly do from either friends or family, and you know, they forgot they can’t find their keys, and they start going crazy and going, oh my god, do I mensia? I guess help people understand, you know, certainly, I know you’re not giving a medical diagnosis to anybody, but what are some of the key differences between what would be normal aging and maybe early signs of Alzheimer’s? Sure so, one that you know everyone should really understand is that memory.

You know, real sign is when memory loss disrupts your daily life. So one of the most common signs of Alzheimer’s disease, especially in the early stage, is forgetting recently learned information. Others include forgetting really important dates or events, or maybe even asking the same questions over and over and increasingly needing to rely on memory aids, so you know, having reminder notes or electronic devices or family members you know, for things that they used to handle on their own. A typical age related change is sometimes you forget a name or appointment, but you’re remember it later.

Another another example, if you want, is you know, difficulty completing familiar tasks. So people living with memory changes from Alzheimer’s or other dementia, they oftentimes find it hard to complete daily tasks, So someone may have trouble driving to a familiar location, or organizing their grocery list, or even remembering the rules of their favorite game, Whereas a typical age related change might be occasionally needing help to use the microve settings or to record a TV show. Right, So, what are maybe something you know, what are some of the warning signs that maybe people should not ignore? You know, I mean you brought up some things that should be that concerning to somebody. That’s probably normal aging.

But what are some of the signs that people should pay Maybe I should get this checked out, or maybe my parents should get this checked out. I would say confusion with time or place, so you know, losing track of dates and seasons. It’s really about the passage of time. And you know, if you notice your loved one has trouble understanding something, if it’s not happening immediately, sometimes they forget.

They may forget where they are or how they got there. Another is trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships, so you know, you might experience if you experience vision changes, this could lead to difficulty with balance or trouble reading. They may have problems judging distance and determining color or contrast, which ultimately causes issues with driving, misplacing things, but then losing the ability to read trace steps. Another sign is decreased or poor judgment.

And another one that I see very commonly as we work with with many families is when an individual starts to withdraw from work or social activities. That’s that’s oftentimes an early warning sign. Got it? Got it? So let’s say that somebody did get uh, you know, an early diagnosis, okay, of Alzheimer’s or maybe some other form of dementia. And you hear and I have heard this before.

What is the matter? There’s no cure? What is the matter? I’m not I’m just going to deal with it. I’m not. I’m not going to even go in. What do you say to people who say that.

Oh, I would say, an early diagnosis changes everything. Now the are disease modifying therapies that can help if you’re in that mild state. So there are therapies that will give you more time. It won’t cure it, but it will give you more time, time to understand what’s happening, time to make decisions while you can still fully participate.

I mean knowing that you have potentially time to access treatments that may slow the progression. That’s that’s you know, there is something we can do here, and there’s also time to connect with resources and support. So for family, it often replaces years of uncertainty with the clear path forward. And can you share maybe some of those treatments or medications that are that are slowing or possibly preventing the disease.

Yeah, so there are true treatments right right now, can be and Cassunla. I have a family member who is on one of the treatments right now. They are in the infusion therapies and you can get access to them once you are clinically diagnosed from your doctor. And my family member is doing really well on them.

And I’m so glad that they had that aptitude to come and say, hey, I’m noticing signs, which you know, I worked for the Alzheimer’s Association. I thought I would see the signs. But I had a loved one who came to me and said, I’m noticing signs, and so I was able to let them know. Go to the doctor, get a blood test.

We’ll see if you have amyloid or TAW build ups in the brain, and then we did a confirmatory test after that, and so my loved one was able to get on the treatments early, and we’re seeing remarkable progress right now. So what has I mean? You said a blood test? So it wasn’t that simple years, you know, several years ago. I mean I’ve interviewed people on the subject matter for many years, and a blood test it didn’t exist, So tell us kind of that’s kind of a I would think a relatively new breakthrough to be able to tell something from a blood test. Absolutely, you know, I started working at the Alzheimer’s Association, I’m going to round up seven years ago, and there were no therapies that treated the underlying pathology of the disease.

There were therapies that would treat symptoms. But now we can actually treat the disease. Then you have the advent of blood based diagnostics, so you don’t have to do a you know, invasive or expensive PET scan. You can get a simple blood test done now.

And there is now so much excitement around the brain health movement and really strong scientific progress around lifestyle modifications and you know, around risk reduction and for years people went if they even got to their doctor, and the doctor would diagnose if they ever got a diagnosis, And really it was the same story for decades and decades. They would be diagnosed and the doctor would say, I’m sorry, but there’s really nothing we can do. Well, the game has radically changed over the last five years, and there is exciting science around brain health. We do have those blood based markers, there are disease modifying therapies, we can identify the disease early and intervene sooner.

So it really is an exciting time and a hopeful time. But that’s one ful news. Talk to us a little bit about maybe any recent legislation or anything that is helping with you know, it takes a lot of money to do all this, I mean, so can you give us any update on that front. Yes, well, we recently championed and we’re able to get more government federal funding to expand Alzheimer’s research for you know, this this next year, which is which is really exciting.

But at the same time, the Alzheimer’s Association is working really hard on something we call the ASAP Act, and ASAP stands for Alzheimer’s Screening for appropriate or the Alzheimer’s Screening and Prevention, and it’s a bill that would create a Medicare coverage pathway for these FDA approve blood based biomarker tests that can help detect biological science of Alzheimer’s disease. So really the goal of this act is to expand access for Medicare beneficiaries for these blood tests, which can reduce delays in diagnosis and treatment. We can help ensure people get evaluated earlier. We can improve equity by making these tests more accessible and affordable.

So again, so much, so much more movement. We’ve got science that has been moving faster than policy, but the ASAP Act is going to help Medicare catch up to really the realities of modern Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Fantastic, So, Katie, we’re going to take just a quick break. I promise just to recognize our sponsor.

We come back. I know that Alzheimer’s Associators come out with a special report on brain health that you could share with people, and we could talk about I’d like to talk about dimension in the workplace and supporting our caregivers. We’ve got a lot more to talk about. So we’re going to be back in just one moment, all right, So my questions.

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So, Katie, a lot of great information you’re sharing with us. I know that we happen to be this month Brain Health Month, and I know that Alzheimer’s Association has come out with a report, so I’d love you, you know, to not only talk about that, but anything else you would like to share at the Alzheimer’s Association so people can learn more. Yeah, thank you all. I want to encourage everyone to visit Rethink your Brain dot org.

It’s a new resource from the Alzheimer’s Association that helps people really understand one powerful truth, and it is that brain health is not just about the future. It’s about the choices we make today. And you will find simple science back ways to support your brain through physical activity, sleep, nutrition, social connection, and more. Because when it comes to brain health, it’s never too late or too early to start.

And that’s Rethinkourbrain dot org. We did recently have a special report on brain health, and really brain health is a major focus of the Alzheimer’s Association, and I would share that at its core, it’s really about how well we think and learn and remember throughout our lives, and what we’re seeing right now is really interesting. We conducted a nationwide survey of more than thirty eight hundred US adults aged forty and older to better understand how Americans not only viewed, but also prioritize brain health. And bottom line, what we found was this, people care deeply about their brain health, but they’re not entirely sure how to take care of it.

In fact, nine in ten adults say maintaining brain health was very important as they age, and virtually everyone ninety nine percent considered it just as important or even more important than physical health. But there’s a big disconnect here, frank, and it’s that fewer than one in ten people say they know what to do to maintain their brain health, and so there’s this interesting gap when it comes to lifestyle as well. So three quarters of Americans believe that healthy habits and healthy habits are things like exercise and nutrition and sleep, they’re important for brain health overall, but fewer than half, so forty six percent can connect those same habits to reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s or dementia. So there really is this clear awareness gap between caring about brain health and then understanding how to protect it.

But the good news is people are motivated, they want to learn, and they’re looking for guidance that they can trust, especially from their healthcare providers, and many say that they participate in programs designed to support brain health. Yeah, that’s uh, thank you for that. So yeah, let’s talk about that a little bit. As far as you know, brain health at work, and you know, you at the very beginning you said one of the misconceptions was people think that those with Alzheimer’s are only much older people, all right, and it’s not the case.

We’re saying more and more younger people. So because of that reason, it’s got to be affecting things situations at the workplace. So can you talk to us a little bit about that brain health at work and how Alzheimer’s Association as assisting maybe companies with that. Yes, brain health at work.

You know, we’re really excited about that. It actually falls under a new initiative that we’re doing called Rethink your Brain. And we wanted to take science and turn it into and that concern and turn it into clear practical action because what you do every day matters than more people realize. You want to make sure that people stay physically active.

We want you to eat well, keep your mind engaged. All of those things can support brain health. And not only are these habits going to help you feel better now, they’re going to protect your memory and thinking as you age and may even reduce your risk of dementia, and the science surrounding brain health is advancing rapidly. Just last year, we shared results from a large two year clinical trial showing that lifestyle behaviors the healthy one, especially when done combination, they can support health brain health and reduce your risk of cognitive decline.

And I feel that that’s such a powerful message of hope. It means there are steps people can take today, long before symptoms appear, to support their brain health over time, and it doesn’t matter what age you are. Rethink your Brain initiatives. It really is designed to help people move from caring about brain health to actually doing something about it.

And at the center of the initiative is a six step challenge, and we break brain health into realistic, achievable actions that fit into everyday life. There are six steps. We want to focus on your habits. We want you to rethink your daily routine, rethink your movement, rethink your nutrition and mental activity, and then rethink what comes next and that includes staying motivated, monitoring your health, and inviting others to join you.

So again, it is a science based practical and it’s designed to fit real life, again, targeting those in midlight midlife starting in your you know, thirties and forties. So I invite all of your listeners to go to Rethinkourbrain dot org to sign up and to take the six step challenge. That’s great. You know, we sometimes people forget they’re thinking about their physical health and exercising and doing cardio and all that, but that that helps in strengthening the brain as well.

Correct. Yes, yeah, that’s a big part of it. So you know, I like to you know, maybe shift a little bit to the caregivers. Family caregivers.

So those that may be listening who maybe had a spouse, parents, a sibling, who may have had a recent diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, what advice, what input would you give to them? So first, I do know that caregiving is incredibly meaningful, but it is also emotionally and physically exhausting. And that’s especially true when you’re caring for someone living with Alzheimer’s or another dementia. You know, we see that caregivers, they are often managing a combination of long term physical decline emotional changes. There’s shifts and behavior and personalities, and then over time, the person they love quite literally seem to change in front of them, and that is really hard.

And the level of care with you know, supporting those with Alzheimer’s or dementia, it’s more intense. This isn’t short term. All him can really progress over four to eight years and sometimes even up to twenty, so we’re talking about a long journey and the demands typically grow over time. So it’s probably no surprise then that caregivers experience higher levels of stress.

Nearly six and ten Alzheimer’s caregivers report higher very high emotional stress, and more than a third say their own health has declined and many are putting themselves last. So about a quarter say that they’ve delayed or skipt taking care of their own health. And I’d also say then that there’s a significant financial toll. Caregivers often reduce work hours or they step away from jobs as the disease progresses, and so they’re paying out of pocket for care and support.

We’ve got some statistics saying that dementia caregivers spend over eleven thousand dollars a year on average, and that’s merely double what non dementia caregivers spend, and over a lifetime, about seventy percent of the cost of care really falls on families. So when we talk about Alzheimer’s, we also have to talk about caregivers, because again, those are the ones who are carrying an enormous load, and yet many do it in isolation. And that’s why one of the most important messages we share is this you can’t do it alone, and you shouldn’t have to. So the Alzheimer’s Association we offer a free twenty four to seven helpline that is staffed by master level clinicians who are available day and night to help family caregivers navigate disease related challenges.

In addition, we offer local support groups. We’ve got education programs and resources that are all designed to help caregivers really feel more confident and less alone in what they’re facing because sometimes the most important thing is simply knowing there’s someone you can turn to. So I encourage caregivers to go to alz dot org to learn more. Right so, I know that companies through the years have added benefit programs to assist you know, young parents who have have kids at home, and you know, we don’t have to get into all that, but there’s been a lot of support there.

Fortunately, I think it’s wonderful. Have you also seen, but I’m not sure we’ve we’ve seen as much happen for people who are, you know, providing caregiving for a loved one also, whether that be long distance caregiving or at home. Are you seeing a shift to that or more companies are recognizing the fact that they need to support their employee, you know, employees who are going through this. Absolutely, there is a growing reality that employers need to prepare for an aging workforce and you know, as Americans work longer, there’s cognitive impairment that is a growing concern, but there is a concern about supporting their caregivers in the workplace.

And it’s because of that demand that we and I know you had asked me this earlier and I wanted to go back to this Brain Health at Work. One of the things we talk a lot about when it comes to brain health is where people actually spend their time, and for most adults, that is the workplace. And that’s why we have launched a new initiative called brain Health at Work. It is a free, nationwide program designed to help employers create brain healthy workplaces, but also it’s a program to support employe who may be at risk for cognitive decline or caring for someone living with dementia.

And the idea is really simple. If we bring brain health into the workplace, we have an opportunity to reach millions of people right where they are each and every single day. And the program gives employers really practical, easy to use tools so that they can build brain health into what they’re already doing, so things like encouraging physical activity and good nutrition, stress stress management, and staying engaged. But it also recognizes the growing reality that millions of employers are caregivers.

In fact, nearly nine million working age Americans are caring for someone with dementia while they’re balancing full time jobs and their own health. So this isn’t just helping employers promote cognitive well being. It’s also about supporting people in real and tangible ways. And so you know what’s great is that this brain Health at Work program is designed to be simple and actionable.

So employers get and complete a short assessment, They then receive customized guidance, and then they get access to tools that help them build healthier habits across their workforce. So there’s even a recognition component for organizations that step up and lead in the space. So ultimately, you know, we’re really trying to shift the mindset and help employers see employee cognitive wellbeing and caregiving not just as personal issues, but as workplace issues and a business issue that affects productivity, retention, and overall wellbeing, because at the end of the day, supporting brain health at work it isn’t just good for employees, it’s good for organizations too. Exactly exactly, So, Kay, Unfortunately we’re out of time, but I do want to maybe just give you a moment to you know, sometimes I have a bunch of questions I like to ask.

Maybe I don’t get to everything that you were hoping I did, So is there anything that you’d like to share with our listeners? And maybe I didn’t touch upon. You know, I think that history is not going to remember tests we develop. It will remember the lives we change. And for the first time, we are entering an era where there is so much excitement around brain health.

We can detect Alzheimer’s earlier, we can intervene sooner, and we can help better support families throughout the journey. And that’s really why the work ahead is so important and why there’s more reason for hope today than ever before. Great Katie, Katie Evan, thank you so much for joining us on Boomers Today. Really appreciate it.

You’re the best. Thanks Grek, thank you, Thank. You everybody for joining us. Please please be safe.

We’ll talk to everybody next week. You’ve been listening to Boomers Today with Frank Sampson. To learn more about today’s show, visit boomerstodayradio dot com and join us next time for another edition of Boomers Today.

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