A Call to Connect

The calendar in my phone has two alerts that pop up every year on this day. One is “Mother’s Day!” and the second is “Call Mom!” Turns out I’m not the only one. Mother’s Day is the single highest call volume day in the United States, amounting to a 37% spike in phone traffic. Even though my mother passed away two years ago from Alzheimer’s disease, I can’t bear to delete the reminder in my calendar to call her. Seeing it there makes me somehow feel closer to her. My mom was one of my favorite people to talk to

The Power of Faith in Alzheimer’s & Dementia

During my time with UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, I’ve had many conversations with people living with and caring for those with dementia or Alzheimer’s. From these conversations, I’ve learned that faith is integral to how they cope with the tremendous uncertainty, decline and loss that invariably accompanies this disease. In response, many faith communities, denominations, and organizations across the country have implemented creative, meaningful ways to support the spiritual life of these families and educate their communities about Alzheimer’s disease. Emerging scientific evidence is telling us that Alzheimer’s and dementia may be delayed or even potentially prevented through proactive, risk-reducing actions taken across

Addressing Injustice in Alzheimer’s and Bringing Brain Health Equity to Communities of Color

April is National Minority Health Month, and it presents a good opportunity for all of us to reflect on the numerous challenges and injustices communities of color face when it comes to healthcare in the U.S. For example, African Americans and Latinos are at higher risk than non-Hispanic whites for some of our country’s most common health problems, including obesity, heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, high blood pressure, and stroke. To understand and address these disparities, greater attention is being given to the role of social determinants like income inequality, housing and food security, and educational opportunity. A growing appreciation of

Creating an Optimal System of Care for Brain Health

Creating an Optimal System of Care for Brain Health We’ve defined the problem. Now it’s time to fix it. By Kelly O’Brien Executive Director, Brain Health Partnership The results are in: There is growing consensus that we need to fundamentally change how we approach brain health in our nation and across the globe. At UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, we’ve firmly established that Alzheimer’s disease is a growing epidemic and the defining health crisis of the 21st century. We called on President Trump to declare a state of emergency on Alzheimer’s during his 2019 State of the Union address, just as President Nixon did

Angels in Arms

Greg O’Brien is living with early onset Alzheimer’s. He recently spoke at a provider conference, and recounted the story of his travel home…

Yesterday's Dream is Today's Reality

Trish and I were married for 49 years. April 17 marked the second anniversary of her passing -- from a heart attack. I know, in her unique humor that animated our lives and in her writing for "Designing Women", "Family Ties" and "Kate and Allie", she is probably saying, "George, we picked the wrong disease." In truth, curing Alzheimer's was always her passion. Her fight -- our shared fight -- was for her mother. We decided not to stand aside and leave this to somebody else but rather to challenge this disease ourselves. So, in 2010, we founded UsAgainstAlzheimer’s (with

Opinion: We can accelerate a cure for Alzheimer's

Reposted from The Hill. By George Vradenburg Since the first cases were diagnosed in 1981, 1.8 million Americans have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. A positive diagnosis was once thought to be a death sentence and the disease was considered one of the greatest public health crises ever. In response, the federal government poured massive resources into developing treatments and now, thanks to pharmacological and other research, HIV/AIDS is considered a chronic but no longer life-threatening condition. By comparison, 5.8 million Americans today are battling Alzheimer’s disease, with a new case being diagnosed every 65 seconds. By 2050, the number of

Behind Every Great Woman is a Great Brain

For the past 30 years, Americans have gathered around the month of March to celebrate the incredible accomplishments of women in this country. On March 8th, we celebrated International Women’s Day to recognize the powerful and uniting force of women across the globe. Unfortunately, a crisis is looming. The very women we’re celebrating this month and everyday are facing a public health crisis – and we have the power to make sure it’s not ignored. We bet you didn’t know that a full two-thirds of Americans living with Alzheimer’s are women, and that one in six women aged 65 or

Brain Health Equity Insights - March 2019

A Note from UsAgainstAlzheimer’s We are thrilled to introduce Equity Insights, a newsletter that will deliver the latest news, opinions, tools and practical insights from the fields of health disparities research, Alzheimer’s disparities research and prevention, and health equity policy. This interdisciplinary approach reflects the challenges we face as our population ages and communities of color face increased risk for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. Our aim is to provide our growing network of partners the insights needed to build a community of practice in brain health focused on equity and access for women and people of color. We encourage you