The NFL and Alzheimer's - Go Purple

Some of the most watched TV programs each year are NFL games and such large audiences give the NFL a tremendous opportunity to use its broadcasts for public service. To their credit, since 2009 the NFL has used October broadcasts to support breast cancer awareness and help raise money for research. Football players show their support by wearing pink on their uniforms and using pink equipment . Having lost my mother to cancer, and with relatives currently dealing with cancer, I applaud this NFL leadership role and enjoy seeing lots of pink on my TV screen this month. Another opportunity

The Government Shut Down, But Alzheimer's Did Not

Editor's note: this blog post originally appeared on Huffington Post 50 For a tormenting two weeks, the fiscal future of the U.S. seemed to hang in the balance on Capitol Hill. The world's eyes were glued to the Legislative Branch as disagreements boiled into feuds and gave way to iron-fisted gridlock. Markets sputtered. Talking heads excoriated. And while liberal and conservative media outlets disagree on the political consequences, there's a bigger issue no one's talking about: federal research lost. And it looks like it will keep losing. When the government re-opened, it failed to address the arbitrary, across-the-board sequester that

You Can Shut Down the Government, But You Can't Shut Down Alzheimer's

Editor's note: this blog post originally appeared on Huffington Post 50 Here is something that doesn't stop when the government closes down: Alzheimer's. When Louise was 3, her mother, Zoe, who was 29 at the time, was diagnosed with dementia. She is now 42, living in a home care facility unable to walk or talk. Then there is Charlie Collier, who for 25 years traveled the country seeking donations for Harvard University. Charlie gained a national reputation in the field of family philanthropy. Now, he is speaking out -- as much as he is able -- on a topic even

'Surviving Grace': A Story Of Hope And Possibilities

Editor's note: This piece originally appeared on Huffington Post 50. As a determined woman, activist, mother and writer, I've learned to stay humble (kids help you be that), work hard and to never take "no" for an answer. It's been 26 years since my mom was first diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. This was the first time in my life that I had to accept "no, there is no cure" as the only answer available. At that time, I barely knew what the disease was. What I did know is there was no cure. My mother, this elegant lioness, was reduced

How Blue Button Can Help Caregivers and Beat Alzheimer's

Editor's note: This blog post originally appeared on The Huffington Post It's one of this century's most glaring paradoxes. You can do almost anything on your smart phone -- buy a book, find a taxi, manage your investment portfolio, watch a Yankees game while in Mogadishu -- but you can't get to your health records. The Internet, great disruptive force that it is, can't penetrate the wall between you and your own health information siloed away in your doctors' files. Remember the days, decades ago, when email systems in different companies couldn't speak to each other? It seems like ancient

Alzheimer’s Is the New HIV

Editor's note: this piece orginally appeared on David's personal blog It is not every day that I walk out of a medical school lecture truly inspired. The topic was on HIV and how far we have come in the treatment and management of the disease. We’ve all heard how “HIV is no longer a death sentence,” but actually going through the details on how much success we’ve had in treating HIV is amazing. I remember learning about HIV in school when I was in 5th grade. I recall seeing pictures of the progression of someone who had HIV and didn’t

G8: Leading a Global Response to Alzheimer's

Editor's Note: This blog post originally appeared on Huffington Post Breaking news: Political leader delivers on promise. To wit: The British government has just announced that it will host a G8 Summit in December dedicated to Alzheimer's and Dementia. The announcement of the London event delivers on Prime Minister David Cameron's pledge to use the UK's Presidency of the G8 to launch a global initiative to address Alzheimer's disease. Mr. Cameron's leadership is a notable victory not only for those who suffer from Alzheimer's, but for families, communities and society at large. The prevalence of Alzheimer's is exploding around the

5 Things to Never Say to a Person With Alzheimer's

Editor's note: This blog post originally appeared on Huffington Post Yesterday afternoon, I walked into the spacious room belonging to Mary, a woman with dementia who has few visitors and with whom I've volunteered to spend a little time every week. I greeted her, complimented her on her beautiful turquoise sweater, and shook her hand. Then I sat down at her little table that was overflowing with books, photographs, the newspaper and other items she wants to keep close at hand. I started off by picking up a small framed photo of Mary with her husband and three children --

The Invisible Victims of Alzheimer’s Disease: Family Caregivers

Editor's note: This piece originally appeared in the July 2013 edition of the LEAD Coalition newsletter, which you can read online here To a few close family and friends who know me as a longtime caregiver and advocate for my aging parents and (more recently) my in-laws, I have done the impossible: survived 17 years of struggling to support the needs of three-out-of-four parents who have either died from, or currently struggle with, some form of dementia. To the rest of the world, I am invisible. At 46 years old, I am a small business owner, I have a college

Was My Mom Abused?

Editor's note: This piece originally appeared on Trish's AARP Blog On July 2, USA Today reported that more than 20 former employees of a Georgia Alzheimer's care center are facing dozens of criminal charges after a three-month state investigation uncovered allegations of cruel treatments of patients. The cruelty ranged from physical abuse - slapping patients and throwing water on them - to outright neglect and financial exploitation. Other abuse included shackling patients to their beds with sheets and 'double diapering' so the staff wouldn't have to change soiled diapers so often. As it turns out, various staff members had prior