Be Trish

Editor's note: Rabbi Michael Lerner gave a moving eulogoy in honor of his sister and UsAgainstAlzheimer's co-founder Trish Vradenburg at the May service celebrating Trish's life. Rabbi Lerner's remarks are reprinted here in their entirety. I am Rabbi Michael Lerner. I'm Trish's older brother. I think I knew her longer than anybody in this room. I met her first when she came back from the hospital, and being born. Our family that she came into was a family that was very involved in talking at the dining room table all the time about politics. My parents were leaders of the

Out And About With UsAgainstAlzheimer's In June 2017: Uniting Communities For A Cure

This is a new monthly feature from UsAgainstAlzheimer’s where we will share with you what our team has been up to around the U.S. and the world in our work to stop Alzheimer’s. We are pressing for greater urgency from government, industry, and the scientific community and bringing people together in the quest for an Alzheimer’s cure. Here are a few highlights from June: Boston Shawn Taylor, UsAgainstAlzheimer’s Board Member, was in Boston to speak at the Veterans Administration Alzheimer's and Aging Conference for Collaboration. We will soon be launching our newest network, VeteransAgainstAlzheimer’s. She also published a blog post

Our Veterans and Dementia

June is PTSD Awareness Month. The rapidly surging number of Americans with Alzheimer’s disease includes a growing number of military veterans, who may be at increased risk for dementia as a consequence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and brain injuries suffered in service. UsAgainstAlzheimer’s successfully works with and for communities at higher risk for dementia, including women, Latinos, and African Americans. Veterans also face unique risk factors for Alzheimer's as a result of their service. Love of country and support for our military is in my blood, and, sadly, so is Alzheimer’s. So it is fitting that I am spearheading

African Americans are more likely than whites to develop Alzheimer’s. Why?

This June 1, 2017, Washington Post article by Marita Golden focuses on the shocking disproportionate impact of Alzheimer’s on communities of color, specifically African Americans. Older African Americans develop Alzheimer's at a higher rate than any other group of older Americans, and are about twice as likely as non-Hispanic whites to develop it or other forms of dementia. George Vradenburg, UsAgainstAlzheimer’s Co-Founder, says, “When Trish and I started UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, we wanted to start a movement, a mobilization to find out why women, blacks and Latinos are disproportionately affected.” African Americans are nearly invisible in clinical Alzheimer's trials, accounting for only

Nursing Home Placement: Damned if You Do – Damned if You Don’t

Caregivers of people living with Alzheimer’s disease must make some extremely difficult decisions. One decision they may face is whether to place their loved one in a care facility of some type. Virtually no one wants to do it and few if any people want to go. This will be one of the most difficult, heart-wrenching decisions you, as an Alzheimer’s caregiver, will ever have to make. What if you have to work full-time and can’t provide the 24/7 care dementia patients require – especially those in the later stages of the disease? What if you can’t afford an in-home