I would love to hear from you. Send me questions or comments.
The staggering truth hits like a punch to the gut: 7.2 million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer's, and that number could nearly double to 13.8 million by 2060. As the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, dementia's impact reaches far beyond those diagnosed – it transforms families and tests the limits of our healthcare system.
Our guests, Dr. Tim Walden from the University of St. Francis and Dr. Travis Staub from Rush University Medical Center, bring clarity to this complex topic by explaining that dementia isn't just one condition but an umbrella covering various disorders affecting cognition. While Alzheimer's may be the most recognized, vascular dementia, Lewy body disease, and frontotemporal dementia each present unique challenges requiring different approaches.
The financial burden is almost incomprehensible – nearly 12 million family members provide 19 billion hours of unpaid care annually, valued at over $413 billion. Monthly care costs range from $4,000 to over $8,000, creating immense strain on families already struggling with the emotional devastation of watching someone they love slowly slip away.
Yet amidst these sobering statistics, our experts offer powerful hope through prevention strategies backed by research. Exercise emerges as perhaps the most effective intervention, with a clear relationship between fitness levels and reduced dementia risk. The MIND Diet developed at Rush University Medical Center provides a nutritional roadmap specifically designed for brain health. Social connections, continued learning, and regular medical check-ups all contribute to building what researchers call "cognitive reserve" – the brain's resilience against decline.
For those already on the caregiving journey, our guests offer this profound wisdom: though the person may seem gone, they're still there. The challenge lies in continuing to see and honor the individual beyond the disease. Whether you're concerned about your own brain health, supporting a loved one, or simply want to understand this growing health crisis, this episode provides essential insights that could change how you think about aging and memory.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Okay, all right.
All right, so well, welcome toPatty's Place, the place where
we talk about grief, dementiaand caregiving.
Today we have two specialguests Dr Tim Walden, who's a
professor here at University ofSt Francis, and we also have Dr
Travis Staub.
(00:21):
Did I say that right?
Yes, that's right, travis Staub,did I say that right?
Yes, that's right, and you workwith Rush University Medical
Center.
So today we're going to talk alot about dementia and the
research that's going on.
Dr Walden, you wanted to startwith talking about dementia, and
it's one of the top 10 leadingcauses of death as well.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
Yes, thank you, lisa.
It's great to be here, hi,travis.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Hi, great to be here.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Yeah, thank Hi.
Unfortunately, 7.2 millionAmericans live with Alzheimer's
disease dementia in the USA.
Now that number could grow to13.8 million by 2060.
And Lisa was exactly right it'sthe seventh leading cause of
death.
In 2022, over 120,000 Americansdied from Alzheimer's.
(01:06):
Now the affliction is so namedafter it was so named in 1906
after the German pathologistAloy Alzheimer's.
Now, alzheimer's dementia is aneurodegenerative disorder
affecting memory, mood, language, mood, language, situational
(01:30):
tension and more.
And I want to get to some otherfactors dealing with
Alzheimer's to show theinfluence of the scourge.
Nearly 12 million familymembers and other unpaid
caregivers provide over 19billion hours of Alzheimer's
just in 2024.
Unpaid care for Alzheimer's wasvalued at over $413 billion
that same year.
(01:51):
This is really important.
Mt Connolly, the author of theMeasure of Our Age, writes that
caring for another is a profoundact, and that statement there
says it all.
We can continue.
Just one more note on this, orjust a few more.
(02:13):
In 2025, the total payments forhealth care for Alzheimer's and
this includes hospice andlong-term care was $384 billion.
As a philosopher, I'm concernedwith this, because I'm
concerned with and focused onthinking.
I come from a tradition thatsays, for example, know thyself,
(02:34):
and I think, therefore I am,and whenever thinking is
impaired and something likememory is affected, it's really
important.
So I think it's something thatwe have to understand better and
commit to more.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Definitely, we definitely need to do that.
So, dr Travis, can you tell usa little bit about the Rush
University, the Alzheimer'sDisease Center and the research
you're working on?
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Yeah, so the Rush Alzheimer's disease center,
located here in the fine city ofchicago, has been in business
for quite some time now and wedo many different studies
throughout the chicagoland area.
I was a I was a graduatestudent when I started working
with the center here.
I'm no longer working with themnow, but I did a lot of work in
(03:23):
neuroimaging and Alzheimer'sdisease.
So one of the things that Iwanted to talk about was
dementia, kind of like theumbrella.
Dementia is considered to belike the umbrella of many
different types of cognitivedifficulties, and one of those
cognitive difficulties isclassified as Alzheimer's
(03:45):
disease and there's many othersthat can be kind of overlapping
with Alzheimer's disease,something like vascular dementia
, having tiny little strokes indifferent areas of the brain,
dementia with Lewy bodies havingdifferent type of pathology
from Alzheimer's disease, andsometimes a different type of
(04:08):
dementia cognitive decline.
There's also something calledfrontal temporal dementia, which
affects the frontal andtemporal lobes of the brain,
which causes sometimes differenttypes of cognitive decline than
Alzheimer's disease.
So I kind of wanted to go overthat for our listeners here and
kind of talk about the differenttypes of this.
(04:30):
So it's not just Alzheimer'sdisease that we're dealing with
here.
There's other dimensions, butAlzheimer's disease tends to be
the largest of them all and whatthe Rush Alzheimer's Disease
Center deals with and researchesthe most.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Yeah, and I think that people do get confused.
They hear Alzheimer's and theythink it's just one, but there's
so many different ones.
The Lewy body disease I knowthat was part of what Robin
Williams had too, I believe,with the Parkinson's.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Right, yes.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
And sometimes some of those symptoms can be a couple
different things, because whenit comes to the brain, then we
have motor skills different.
I think that people don'talways realize when they think
they think, oh, you're justlosing your memory, but really
it's the whole brain that these,the dementia, affects.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
That's right, yeah, and there's different.
You know these areas aretightly related and closely, you
know, close to each other.
So sometimes you have someoverlap.
And for instance, there was astudy done, a couple, a few
studies done, that looked at thepathology of Alzheimer's
disease and they noticed that itwasn't just Alzheimer's
pathology in a lot of thesebrains there was sometimes Lewy
(05:41):
body disease and Alzheimer'sdisease and some vascular
dementia too.
So as we age a lot of thesethings can combine and we can
have multiple different types ofdementia in one, you know, in
one brain and it can be prettycommon.
And there's also other factors,like when we think about maybe
(06:05):
you know someone, a familymember or something is having
memory issues, it might beimportant to see a neurologist
because it could be otherdiseases that can be easily
cured.
Things like epilepsy can causevery, you know, acute memory
loss, but then you'll get thatback after you have your
seizures over.
So things like that, likedepression increases, you know
(06:28):
certain hormones in the bodythat can cause memory problems,
but if you treat the depression,sometimes the memory gets
better.
So these are things that it'sreally important that if you do
start to have some memoryproblems, that you see a
neurologist, because a lot ofthings, some of these things,
can be preventable that you seea neurologist, because a lot of
things, some of these things,can be preventable.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Yes, that's very true .
A lot of people they don'trealize how it's all connected
with everything.
What would you say would be thesigns or symptoms of dementia
that somebody should really likeget more studies done or get
more testing done.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Yeah, I always bring up the point of you know,
remembering what you had forbreakfast or dinner the previous
day, or if you notice oddbehavior from a family member
where they keep repeating thingsthat they just told you.
Things like that are kind ofred flags for a dementia memory
problem.
(07:25):
And then, of course, otherthings.
Like you know, acute changeslike that can be more indicative
of vascular um.
Issues like stroke are veryimportant too, um, and I think
you know we need to increaseawareness for those things and
um that can also contribute tolike a vascular dementia that
(07:46):
can also contribute to like avascular dementia, and because
you know that's how people thinkoh, it's just normal aging.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
But those are things that people should look at and
really kind of watch theirfamily member or themselves,
Right, Because?
Speaker 2 (07:56):
that's right.
Yeah, yeah, definitely.
You know, we, the people thatwe talk to every day, we kind of
notice these little things overtime.
The people that we talk toevery day, we kind of notice
these little things over time.
And these are things that weneed to.
You know, hey, you know grandma, or hey, you know mom doesn't
seem like she used to.
Let's maybe bring her to aneurologist to have them do some
more formal testing so we canunderstand better what's going
(08:17):
on.
I have a story about myfather-in-law recently had an
infection.
We had no idea, but he startedto talk funny and start to see
things what we call delirium.
That was easily cured when wefound out that his skull bladder
was infected and he had thatremoved and now he's back to his
(08:37):
normal self of good memory andnot having hallucinations.
So these things are as we age.
We have our as we age.
You know we have to watch ourloved ones and notice these
things going on and bring thatattention to our physician.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
Definitely, because, yeah, sometimes it is something
completely different and it canbe fixed easily, you know.
But I know people get scaredright away.
They're like, oh no, I have.
You know, I have dementia andit might not be.
I know there's been a lot ofstories in the news lately too
about Alzheimer's drugs andstuff.
They all seem to be effectiveif we catch the disease early.
(09:15):
Do you have any idea, like whyyou think that is, if they can
catch it early with the drugs orif it's even beneficial.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
Yeah, that's a great point, so, right.
So there's, there's some.
There are some good drugs thatare that are out now Um, um, um,
not really curing or um,alzheimer's disease totally Um,
um, so that that drug is stillum, hopefully, that there's labs
that are working on that thatcure Um, but that can start to
slow down the disease.
(09:45):
And the issue is, you know, ifthe destruction is already done,
it's really hard to repair thebrain, right?
So if we can stop this as earlyas possible and there's an
early point in Alzheimer'sdisease, what we call mild
cognitive impairment and that'skind of like the first signs of
some memory problems or maybesome language problems or
(10:06):
something similar like that, ifyou notice those things, that if
your loved one or yourself are,you know it's okay for them to
get the medication.
They can maybe be trialed on it.
You know when they're diagnosedwith Alzheimer's disease, as
soon as they are.
You know when they're diagnosedwith Alzheimer's disease as
(10:27):
soon as they are.
So there's a lot of encouragingstudies coming up, but we don't
have that drug that can cure itjust yet.
But you know, I would say thatif you have a loved one that you
know that you're concernedabout talk to your neurologist,
because they're the ones thatare going to know what the
newest, best treatments are forthose people.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Do you think we'll ever get a medicine that can
maybe help when they're in thelater stages?
Or is it just the brain?
So far gone it's just not goingto.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
I certainly hope you know there was some encouraging
drugs that were out in the pastthat we thought were going to be
, you know, plaque, what wewould call plaque busters that's
one of the main pathologies inAlzheimer's is these amyloid
plaques, and it didn't turn outto be.
The problem is they have a lotof side effects and, you know,
amyloid is actually not a badthing unless it's, you know, in
(11:18):
the bad form, as it is inAlzheimer's disease.
So these are the things that Ithink more and more research
will help us understand betterwhat we have to target exactly.
My work was in neuroimaging andwe could detect the disease
pretty early before actuallythere was a decline.
(11:41):
The issue was, as always do wehave that drug that we can use?
At that time?
We really don't know whoexactly is going to develop
Alzheimer's disease, so it's atricky area to try to predict
who's going to get it and whoshould be treated.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
Because we really don't know what causes it right?
Speaker 2 (12:04):
We really don't know why yeah, why this happens.
There are some genetic causesof Alzheimer's that we
understand, but the you know thebig but big issues like that.
Dr Weldon was talking about thelarge numbers of what we call
sporadic or random Alzheimer'sdisease.
(12:24):
There's really no, we don'treally know why some people get
it and why some people don't.
That's why this research atthese different centers in
Chicago are very important, atthese different centers in
Chicago are very important.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
Yes, definitely, it is very important which then
leads into oh yes, definitelyTravis.
I was wondering, because Ithink our listeners will wonder
about this too is there a way toprevent dementia, or is there a
(12:57):
best way to prevent dementia?
And I have one article that Iwas reading, since we've talked
last Travis, which was justabout a month or six weeks ago.
His name is Dr Patty Barrettand he said the best way to
prevent dementia is exercise andhe says there's a clear linear
relationship between fitnesslevels and the risk of dementia.
Higher fitness equals lowerrisk of dementia.
(13:17):
Risk of dementia, higherfitness equals lower risk of
dementia.
And he said this in an April 12, 2025 article.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
I wonder what would be your opinion on something
like that.
Yeah, that's a great point.
So how can we, what can we do?
Right, because we don't havethese blockbuster medications
and what can we do?
So there's many differentthings.
So the things that are greatfor the brain are also that are
great for the heart excuse me,are great for the brain.
So exercise is so valuable.
I think we don't know, we don'tunderstand the mechanisms of why
(13:49):
it's so valuable, but we knowthat from the outcome studies
that we've seen that exercise isreally, that we've seen that
exercise is really and actuallyfor Parkinson's disease.
Exercising early is actuallythe first treatment that they
tell patients with Parkinson'sdisease because, for some reason
, it really helps before youstart giving medication.
(14:11):
So exercise, I think, isunderrated.
And there's other things too,like your diet, and I know it's
really hard for me as well toexercise too, but also to change
your diet so that you know westop eating saturated fats and
poor foods, fast foods andthings like that, and we eat
things that are healthy, youknow.
(14:33):
So Rush came up with a dietcalled the Mind Diet, and if you
look that up on Google, you'llsee it's like a Mediterranean
diet, high in fish and nuts andberries and things like that,
things that we know are good forus and that we should be eating
every day, and so those are thethings that can really help
(14:54):
exercise eating healthy and thenkeeping your mind active.
That's one of the things thatthere's help exercise, eating
healthy and then keeping yourmind active.
That's one of the things thatthere's been a few studies that
have shown that keeping yourmind active is really important
and that can be, you know,reading, doing crossword puzzles
, games, things like that, tokeep your mind sharp, and the
idea of you know use it or loseit is really a thing you know
(15:19):
your brain will do what you wantit to do as long as you keep it
active.
So those are the best ways, Ithink, to try to reduce your
risk.
There was a study that recentlycame out from Rush here that's
showing that the areas in thecity with lower income and lower
(15:43):
resources they tend to havemore incidence, more, you know,
awareness about helping toprevent, but also having these
(16:04):
people having the lower incomeareas.
See, you know neurologists haveaccess to, to medicine, so
those are that's important aswell.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
Well, definitely, and I think, yeah, people get
scared and don't realize thatthey can go to the doctor.
And those are easy things thatwe can all do, because you do
fall into that trap.
It's so easy to get fast foodand oh, I'm too tired to
exercise, and all that.
Well, I know I've also read toolike socialization being able,
especially when because a lot oftimes people think Alzheimer's
(16:36):
it's in the elderly, so it'simportant for them to also have
social right to be out andtalking to people.
That can help.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
That's right.
Yeah, they found that there'sbeen research that has found
that people with moreconnections, more individual
friends that they speak with ona weekly basis or mostly on a
daily basis, they actually areable to have less incidence of
Alzheimer's disease.
So that's important is to keepthose social connections so that
(17:04):
you don't seem isolated.
And it's important for lovedones who become disabled too.
They might still be very sharp,but if they're disabled they
might not have that contact thatthey used to have with other
people.
So it's important to try toremain in contact with your
family members who may not havethe access to do that, and that
(17:26):
can help, you know, stave offthe disease.
And also, education is a bigdeal, and I know talking to you
know university people here, soI encourage people to stay to
keep you know studying, and theyfound that people with higher
education are actually able tostave off the disease longer,
(17:49):
but they also decline faster.
So it seems to be what we callthis cognitive reserve.
If that's higher, you're ableto stave off the disease longer
before you start to decline.
Speaker 1 (18:04):
Well, there's just another good reason to go to
college.
Then right, that's, right,that's right University of St
Francis.
There you go, that's right, youcould push off the dementia
longer because you're studying.
That's right, that's a goodthing.
So you know what?
What are some things we need toconsider when a family member
is diagnosed with dementia, likethe cost of care and different
(18:26):
things that all go into it,because it really truly they're
there, but they're no longerthere.
You know, with it and it's hardfor someone to understand that
that you really have to starttaking care of them almost like
they're a toddler again.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
Yeah, Care is a big issue and it puts a lot of
stress on family members.
But also thinking about yourown care at that age too and
that's one of the things that Isaw when I did Alzheimer's
research was that the familymembers were under a lot of
stress and they're worried aboutthemselves in the future, you
know, being like mom or dad, andit's really a global issue and
(19:10):
we have different cultures,right.
So here in the US we tend notto live with our parents, where
in Asian countries, or so theymay take in mom and dad when
they're older.
So it's also part of theculture too and it's really
important and it's a really bigissue.
As far as, like you say, costand caring for mom and dad when
(19:33):
they start to decline withAlzheimer's disease, it's a real
big issue.
As Dr Weldon said in hisremarks, it's very expensive and
a lot of time caring for ourfamily members.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
Don't you have a stat , Dr Weldon, about the cost?
Speaker 3 (19:57):
Yeah, the cost I've seen on the low end is $4,000 a
month, but it goes up in excessof $8,000 a month, which could
be daunting for just not onlyAmericans but people the world
over, because, according to theUnited Nations, aging is a
defining global trend well, yeah, because the baby boomers are
(20:20):
all getting older now, so it'scoming into play.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
And yeah, four thousand is very cheap.
I know for myself.
When my mom was in memory care,my dad paid over seven thousand
a month, and that doesn't countany.
Like like supplies that youneed.
You know, know they end up withdiapers and pads and and like
the insure shakes and all thosetypes of things that you end up
(20:44):
having to get with it.
So there's so much to consider,and even if you're taking care
of your family member at home,you still have all those costs
as well, too, with it.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
Definitely in your time.
Those costs as well, too.
With it definitely in your time, um, and and you know, uh,
we're dealing with it right nowwith my, my in-laws, um, and
you're right that that 7 000 isthe low, not the low end because
there's so much more that goesinto it.
They have, they need nursingcare and things like that.
And um, they have other healthissues, you, that they have to
(21:17):
deal with there.
Not only do they have, you know, the Alzheimer's, but they may
have, you know, high bloodpressure and other issues.
So you know it's reallydifficult nursing care and very
expensive and a financial burdenfor society as a whole.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
Yes, it definitely is , and it's hard to get them
Sometimes not only getting them,they get the diagnosis but then
to actually get them into afacility is difficult too,
sometimes to find the rightplace for them.
Speaker 2 (21:46):
A lot of them have waiting lists and things like
that.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
What that, uh, Dr Weldon, do you have more about
that?
Speaker 3 (21:54):
Yeah, just people ask well, what is going on here?
And a lot of this deals withthe longevity dividend here.
I mean, in 1950, the averageAmerican lifespan was 65 years
old.
That's again in 1950.
Now we're approaching 78 yearsand we see that there are great
(22:17):
things that go with that, Ithink.
But we also have to combat whatcomes with it.
That may be, you know, negative, and certainly dementia is one
of those, and it will onlycontinue.
The number of Americans, forexample, ages 100 and older is
projected to more than quadruplein the next three decades, and
(22:37):
older is projected to more thanquadruple in the next three
decades.
So you'll have more than400,000 in 2054.
And that's a great thing.
Speaker 2 (22:47):
We just want to make sure that we can take care of
everyone.
Yeah, that's a great point.
And so there's a study thatthere's actually a group of
studies that Northwestern isdoing on what we call
super-agers.
These are people who are livinginto their 90s and over 100,
but still have this great supermemory like they're in their 20s
still, and what they're tryingto do is understand.
(23:09):
You know what are they doing?
That's different from you know,those who declined to get
dementia, and it's a great study.
Those are great studies to read.
And what can we do and what canseparate these quote unquote
super-agers from the rest ofpeople who decline?
Because there's a theory that,like you were saying, dr Weldon,
(23:34):
as you get older, that you will.
You know that age is a riskfactor for dementia and so, as
you get older, your chances ofhaving dementia is much higher.
And so what can we do to helpprevent that and the cost and
the crisis of time and moneythat go with this crisis?
Speaker 1 (23:59):
and money that go with this crisis.
Yeah, definitely.
I mean it's combined, and thenit gives you anxiety sometimes
when you start thinking aboutall of that.
So, like for somebody like mewho my mom had Alzheimer's, you
know, I think I go back andforth because there's blood
tests and stuff right that youcan take to see if you would
have it, have the gene.
Speaker 2 (24:21):
Oh right.
Yeah, let's talk about genes alittle bit.
So there's an early Alzheimer's, a whole set of genes and you
kind of know from your familybecause these are like before 65
.
So people are gettingAlzheimer's early, so those are
more rare.
Yeah, there's one gene calledAPOE and you can look at your
(24:42):
risk factor If you have the APOEallele 4, especially if you
have two of those that you're athigher risk for getting
Alzheimer's.
We don't know the details ofwhy this is the case, but, like
you say, like we were sayingearlier, if you're eating
healthy and exercising and doingeverything you can, that's
(25:03):
really all you can do as ofright now to prevent.
So do you really want to knowif you're going to, if you have
a higher chance of gettingAlzheimer's by looking at that
gene?
I think most of thoseover-the-counter gene testing.
I think they actually will lookat that.
Now look at those alleles tosee if you have that.
(25:27):
But that's, you know, that'sone of the major risk factors
that can predict Alzheimer's,but otherwise there really is no
other predicting factor.
Speaker 1 (25:37):
Yeah, I know I go back and forth.
I'm like, do I want to know?
I don't know, Like it's kind ofscary.
Speaker 2 (25:43):
It is scary, it's very scary, and you know what
are you going to do if you know?
Right, yeah, it's really.
Some people say I just want toknow because I want to get
things in order and I want toknow.
But some people are like, hey,I don't want to know because you
know it's like you say it'sscary, but we can do these, we
(26:08):
can do preventable things thatcan, even if you have those
alleles that can reduce yourrisk.
Speaker 1 (26:11):
Well, that's good to know.
With that, Dr Walden, do you?
Speaker 3 (26:14):
have.
No, I just want to say it'salways great talking with you,
Travis, because we appreciatethe positivity here.
I'm heartened and I'mencouraged you know, inspired to
kind of like change what I'mdoing, looking at, you know,
looking again at diet, habitsand information that we have to
keep updated on.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
Yeah, and you know, and going to your doctor.
I mean this sounds silly, butgoing to your doctor every year
is a really big deal because youknow having high blood pressure
can increase your chance.
You know these things that wejust have high cholesterol you
can get, you know, have a higherrisk for vascular dementia.
So getting those yearlycheckups is a big deal and some
people like, especially men, youknow we always, whatever we
(26:58):
don't need to go to the doctor,right?
Speaker 3 (27:00):
Yeah, there's some doctor dodging going on there.
Right, that's right.
I'm one of the biggest problems.
I'm like go to the doctor.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
I'm like, okay, getting your skin checked for
cancer, because you know thatsort of thing skin cancer can
lead to, you know, metastasisand death and things like that.
So all these things that we cando to prevent, and this is why,
(27:30):
like you said, dr Weldon, thisis why everybody's living so
long.
We have this great healthsystem in the US and great care,
and we need to utilize that andto improve our own health.
There's such great medicationsfor cholesterol now that can
reduce your risk for vascularissues and stroke and
Alzheimer's or, sorry, vasculardementia and things like that,
and so all the things that weknow that we're supposed to do.
(27:52):
We need to do these and I'm oneof the biggest violators of
that.
You know.
Speaker 3 (27:58):
The cheeseburger looks much better than salmon
with broccoli, go for the blackbeans and rice next time Travis.
Okay, next time I see you,that's what we'll have.
Speaker 2 (28:10):
And even the director , david Bennett, of the Rush
Alzheimer's Disease Center.
He said I force myself toexercise every day.
You know, that's an inspirationfor me, like, hey, I need to do
this.
He sees the results of hisstudies, you know, so I need to
get out there and do some cardiotoday.
It's not easy, though.
Speaker 1 (28:29):
So if somebody wanted to be part of a trial or a
study, is that easy to do, youknow?
Because sometimes people feellike, well, my family member had
it or they might be able tohelp others my family member had
it, or that they might be ableto help others.
Speaker 2 (28:47):
Yeah, so if you go on the, if you kind of search the
Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center,they have different studies
that are going on all the timeand they have a big group of
studies in the Beverly area ofthe city, so like the south part
(29:07):
of the city that they focus on.
But but if there's any studiesthat you see there, you can
definitely check that out andsign up for a study.
It really helps when, when wehave volunteers that can help us
out in our research, we reallyappreciate those.
Those are the lone heroes, thepeople that are that we can
volunteer for studies.
Speaker 1 (29:25):
Well, definitely, because it can always help
someone else.
And one last thing too, likewhen you're dealing with a
person with dementia, what doyou think are some of the best
things you can do for thatperson, because they're still
your loved ones even though theyhave this huge disease?
What advice would you give thecaregiver?
Speaker 2 (29:45):
Yeah.
So I still think you know thegolden rule, right?
I mean, do unto others.
And how would you feel if youwere in that position and how
would you want to be treated?
And that's really the key isyou know mom and dad.
Although they may not rememberyou, they're still mom or dad,
right, and they still need ourlove and care, and more so in
(30:08):
these trying times.
It's really difficult, thoughit's really hard, because they
disappear slowly.
And we're dealing with thiswith my mother-in-laws my wife
the other day.
She's crying in the bathroomlike, oh, I lost my mom already.
It's so heart-wrenching andit's really difficult to go
through these things.
(30:29):
But having that support withyour family, when you know
another family is dealing withthis, it's such a big deal to
say, hey, do you need some help?
And reach out and provide thathelp to your friends and other
family members who have familymembers that are experiencing
(30:49):
this.
And I think we had a greatdiscussion a few times ago when
I was at St Francis about youknow that person is gone, but
they're still there.
It really made me think and Istill think about that.
Speaker 3 (31:08):
Travis, that's exactly right.
That's great advice.
We're treating the disease.
However, always, we're lovingthe person.
Speaker 2 (31:16):
That's right.
That's right.
And it's really difficult whenthey slip away slowly and you're
watching this happen.
They have good days and baddays and it's really hard.
You know these things aren'teasy, but you know we have our
faith and hopefully medicinewill make strides and I know
(31:40):
that there's a lot of dedicatedpeople, especially here at Rush,
that are looking for answers.
Speaker 1 (31:47):
It, definitely it is.
You do you feel like you losethe person twice with it and it
is really hard with it.
Go ahead, dr Walden.
Speaker 3 (31:56):
No, just keep up the great work, travis.
I mean you're one of the loneheroes out there as well.
I mean coming to visits.
The students are alwaysanticipating your visits and
talking about it still.
Speaker 2 (32:07):
Oh, I love it.
I love to talk about it and getthe word out and educate.
It's really great and thank youso much for the invitation.
I love talking with you guys.
Speaker 1 (32:16):
Oh well, thank you, and, like I said, people can go
onto the Rush University websiteand learn more about the
Alzheimer's Disease Center aswell.
I've been on that website andthey have a lot of good
information too, like what wetalked about.
There's a whole thing on thereabout the MIND diet and things
that you could do.
There's a whole book about itas well.
Speaker 2 (32:37):
you can get from the library or somewhere else, yeah,
and they have all theirresearch studies that they have
published all on one site, soit's a really great resource if
you're interested.
Speaker 1 (32:49):
Definitely, because I think for me, I know I found
with my mom and even now, themore I can understand and the
more I learn about it, I feellike I can help.
I was able to help her and thenhelp other people because it's
such a big disease.
We're always learning.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
Yeah, and there is the Alzheimer's Association too,
and they're based out ofChicago and you know they're
right down the road here andthey really are there to support
patients and families.
So if you need resources, reachout to them, to the Alzheimer's
Association, and if you'rethinking of donating, that's one
(33:27):
great thing and I've been onthe grant review process for
that.
They have some great researchthat is coming through there, so
it's a great resource that wehave right in our city.
Speaker 1 (33:38):
Oh, definitely yeah, their website is.
They have a lot of goodinformation on there as well,
too.
Speaker 2 (33:43):
Yeah, they focus a lot on people that are
supporting those who haveAlzheimer's as well, so it's a
really good resource.
Speaker 1 (33:49):
Yes, and Dr Walden, do you have any parting words
for us?
Speaker 3 (33:52):
Yes, one great takeaway here.
I'm pledging here the mind diet.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
Yes, I'm getting on that, yes.
Speaker 2 (33:57):
Let's do it.
Speaker 1 (34:00):
Okay, yeah, we can do it.
We can do it because you got it.
Speaker 2 (34:06):
And, like you said, what's good for the heart is
good for the brain.
Speaker 1 (34:08):
That's right, exactly that's one good takeaway for us
.
Well, thank you so much forjoining me here on patty's place
.
Yes, and hopefully, you know,I'm sure we'll talk again for it
.
So I hope every all of ourlisteners have enjoyed it, hope
they had a good cup of coffee,good cup of tea, and we will see
you next time right here onPatty's Place.
Thanks, thank you.
Speaker 3 (34:28):
Thank you.
Okay, all right.
All right, so well, welcome toPatty's Place, the place where
we talk about grief, dementiaand caregiving.
Today we have two specialguests Dr Tim Walden, who's a
professor here at University ofSt Francis, and we also have Dr
Travis Staub.
(00:21):
Did I say that right?
Yes, that's right, travis Staub,did I say that right?
Yes, that's right, and you workwith Rush University Medical
Center.
So today we're going to talk alot about dementia and the
research that's going on.
Dr Walden, you wanted to startwith talking about dementia, and
it's one of the top 10 leadingcauses of death as well.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
Yes, thank you, lisa.
It's great to be here, hi,travis.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Hi, great to be here.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Yeah, thank Hi.
Unfortunately, 7.2 millionAmericans live with Alzheimer's
disease dementia in the USA.
Now that number could grow to13.8 million by 2060.
And Lisa was exactly right it'sthe seventh leading cause of
death.
In 2022, over 120,000 Americansdied from Alzheimer's.
(01:06):
Now the affliction is so namedafter it was so named in 1906
after the German pathologistAloy Alzheimer's.
Now, alzheimer's dementia is aneurodegenerative disorder
affecting memory, mood, language, mood, language, situational
(01:30):
tension and more.
And I want to get to some otherfactors dealing with
Alzheimer's to show theinfluence of the scourge.
Nearly 12 million familymembers and other unpaid
caregivers provide over 19billion hours of Alzheimer's
just in 2024.
Unpaid care for Alzheimer's wasvalued at over $413 billion
that same year.
(01:51):
This is really important.
Mt Connolly, the author of theMeasure of Our Age, writes that
caring for another is a profoundact, and that statement there
says it all.
We can continue.
Just one more note on this, orjust a few more.
(02:13):
In 2025, the total payments forhealth care for Alzheimer's and
this includes hospice andlong-term care was $384 billion.
As a philosopher, I'm concernedwith this, because I'm
concerned with and focused onthinking.
I come from a tradition thatsays, for example, know thyself,
(02:34):
and I think, therefore I am,and whenever thinking is
impaired and something likememory is affected, it's really
important.
So I think it's something thatwe have to understand better and
commit to more.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Definitely, we definitely need to do that.
So, dr Travis, can you tell usa little bit about the Rush
University, the Alzheimer'sDisease Center and the research
you're working on?
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Yeah, so the Rush Alzheimer's disease center,
located here in the fine city ofchicago, has been in business
for quite some time now and wedo many different studies
throughout the chicagoland area.
I was a I was a graduatestudent when I started working
with the center here.
I'm no longer working with themnow, but I did a lot of work in
(03:23):
neuroimaging and Alzheimer'sdisease.
So one of the things that Iwanted to talk about was
dementia, kind of like theumbrella.
Dementia is considered to belike the umbrella of many
different types of cognitivedifficulties, and one of those
cognitive difficulties isclassified as Alzheimer's
(03:45):
disease and there's many othersthat can be kind of overlapping
with Alzheimer's disease,something like vascular dementia
, having tiny little strokes indifferent areas of the brain,
dementia with Lewy bodies havingdifferent type of pathology
from Alzheimer's disease, andsometimes a different type of
(04:08):
dementia cognitive decline.
There's also something calledfrontal temporal dementia, which
affects the frontal andtemporal lobes of the brain,
which causes sometimes differenttypes of cognitive decline than
Alzheimer's disease.
So I kind of wanted to go overthat for our listeners here and
kind of talk about the differenttypes of this.
(04:30):
So it's not just Alzheimer'sdisease that we're dealing with
here.
There's other dimensions, butAlzheimer's disease tends to be
the largest of them all and whatthe Rush Alzheimer's Disease
Center deals with and researchesthe most.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Yeah, and I think that people do get confused.
They hear Alzheimer's and theythink it's just one, but there's
so many different ones.
The Lewy body disease I knowthat was part of what Robin
Williams had too, I believe,with the Parkinson's.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Right, yes.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
And sometimes some of those symptoms can be a couple
different things, because whenit comes to the brain, then we
have motor skills different.
I think that people don'talways realize when they think
they think, oh, you're justlosing your memory, but really
it's the whole brain that these,the dementia, affects.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
That's right, yeah, and there's different.
You know these areas aretightly related and closely, you
know, close to each other.
So sometimes you have someoverlap.
And for instance, there was astudy done, a couple, a few
studies done, that looked at thepathology of Alzheimer's
disease and they noticed that itwasn't just Alzheimer's
pathology in a lot of thesebrains there was sometimes Lewy
(05:41):
body disease and Alzheimer'sdisease and some vascular
dementia too.
So as we age a lot of thesethings can combine and we can
have multiple different types ofdementia in one, you know, in
one brain and it can be prettycommon.
And there's also other factors,like when we think about maybe
(06:05):
you know someone, a familymember or something is having
memory issues, it might beimportant to see a neurologist
because it could be otherdiseases that can be easily
cured.
Things like epilepsy can causevery, you know, acute memory
loss, but then you'll get thatback after you have your
seizures over.
So things like that, likedepression increases, you know
(06:28):
certain hormones in the bodythat can cause memory problems,
but if you treat the depression,sometimes the memory gets
better.
So these are things that it'sreally important that if you do
start to have some memoryproblems, that you see a
neurologist, because a lot ofthings, some of these things,
can be preventable that you seea neurologist, because a lot of
things, some of these things,can be preventable.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Yes, that's very true .
A lot of people they don'trealize how it's all connected
with everything.
What would you say would be thesigns or symptoms of dementia
that somebody should really likeget more studies done or get
more testing done.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Yeah, I always bring up the point of you know,
remembering what you had forbreakfast or dinner the previous
day, or if you notice oddbehavior from a family member
where they keep repeating thingsthat they just told you.
Things like that are kind ofred flags for a dementia memory
problem.
(07:25):
And then, of course, otherthings.
Like you know, acute changeslike that can be more indicative
of vascular um.
Issues like stroke are veryimportant too, um, and I think
you know we need to increaseawareness for those things and
um that can also contribute tolike a vascular dementia that
(07:46):
can also contribute to like avascular dementia, and because
you know that's how people thinkoh, it's just normal aging.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
But those are things that people should look at and
really kind of watch theirfamily member or themselves,
Right, Because?
Speaker 2 (07:56):
that's right.
Yeah, yeah, definitely.
You know, we, the people thatwe talk to every day, we kind of
notice these little things overtime.
The people that we talk toevery day, we kind of notice
these little things over time.
And these are things that weneed to.
You know, hey, you know grandma, or hey, you know mom doesn't
seem like she used to.
Let's maybe bring her to aneurologist to have them do some
more formal testing so we canunderstand better what's going
(08:17):
on.
I have a story about myfather-in-law recently had an
infection.
We had no idea, but he startedto talk funny and start to see
things what we call delirium.
That was easily cured when wefound out that his skull bladder
was infected and he had thatremoved and now he's back to his
(08:37):
normal self of good memory andnot having hallucinations.
So these things are as we age.
We have our as we age.
You know we have to watch ourloved ones and notice these
things going on and bring thatattention to our physician.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
Definitely, because, yeah, sometimes it is something
completely different and it canbe fixed easily, you know.
But I know people get scaredright away.
They're like, oh no, I have.
You know, I have dementia andit might not be.
I know there's been a lot ofstories in the news lately too
about Alzheimer's drugs andstuff.
They all seem to be effectiveif we catch the disease early.
(09:15):
Do you have any idea, like whyyou think that is, if they can
catch it early with the drugs orif it's even beneficial.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
Yeah, that's a great point, so, right.
So there's, there's some.
There are some good drugs thatare that are out now Um, um, um,
not really curing or um,alzheimer's disease totally Um,
um, so that that drug is stillum, hopefully, that there's labs
that are working on that thatcure Um, but that can start to
slow down the disease.
(09:45):
And the issue is, you know, ifthe destruction is already done,
it's really hard to repair thebrain, right?
So if we can stop this as earlyas possible and there's an
early point in Alzheimer'sdisease, what we call mild
cognitive impairment and that'skind of like the first signs of
some memory problems or maybesome language problems or
(10:06):
something similar like that, ifyou notice those things, that if
your loved one or yourself are,you know it's okay for them to
get the medication.
They can maybe be trialed on it.
You know when they're diagnosedwith Alzheimer's disease, as
soon as they are.
You know when they're diagnosedwith Alzheimer's disease as
(10:27):
soon as they are.
So there's a lot of encouragingstudies coming up, but we don't
have that drug that can cure itjust yet.
But you know, I would say thatif you have a loved one that you
know that you're concernedabout talk to your neurologist,
because they're the ones thatare going to know what the
newest, best treatments are forthose people.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Do you think we'll ever get a medicine that can
maybe help when they're in thelater stages?
Or is it just the brain?
So far gone it's just not goingto.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
I certainly hope you know there was some encouraging
drugs that were out in the pastthat we thought were going to be
, you know, plaque, what wewould call plaque busters that's
one of the main pathologies inAlzheimer's is these amyloid
plaques, and it didn't turn outto be.
The problem is they have a lotof side effects and, you know,
amyloid is actually not a badthing unless it's, you know, in
(11:18):
the bad form, as it is inAlzheimer's disease.
So these are the things that Ithink more and more research
will help us understand betterwhat we have to target exactly.
My work was in neuroimaging andwe could detect the disease
pretty early before actuallythere was a decline.
(11:41):
The issue was, as always do wehave that drug that we can use?
At that time?
We really don't know whoexactly is going to develop
Alzheimer's disease, so it's atricky area to try to predict
who's going to get it and whoshould be treated.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
Because we really don't know what causes it right?
Speaker 2 (12:04):
We really don't know why yeah, why this happens.
There are some genetic causesof Alzheimer's that we
understand, but the you know thebig but big issues like that.
Dr Weldon was talking about thelarge numbers of what we call
sporadic or random Alzheimer'sdisease.
(12:24):
There's really no, we don'treally know why some people get
it and why some people don't.
That's why this research atthese different centers in
Chicago are very important, atthese different centers in
Chicago are very important.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
Yes, definitely, it is very important which then
leads into oh yes, definitelyTravis.
I was wondering, because Ithink our listeners will wonder
about this too is there a way toprevent dementia, or is there a
(12:57):
best way to prevent dementia?
And I have one article that Iwas reading, since we've talked
last Travis, which was justabout a month or six weeks ago.
His name is Dr Patty Barrettand he said the best way to
prevent dementia is exercise andhe says there's a clear linear
relationship between fitnesslevels and the risk of dementia.
Higher fitness equals lowerrisk of dementia.
(13:17):
Risk of dementia, higherfitness equals lower risk of
dementia.
And he said this in an April 12, 2025 article.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
I wonder what would be your opinion on something
like that.
Yeah, that's a great point.
So how can we, what can we do?
Right, because we don't havethese blockbuster medications
and what can we do?
So there's many differentthings.
So the things that are greatfor the brain are also that are
great for the heart excuse me,are great for the brain.
So exercise is so valuable.
I think we don't know, we don'tunderstand the mechanisms of why
(13:49):
it's so valuable, but we knowthat from the outcome studies
that we've seen that exercise isreally, that we've seen that
exercise is really and actuallyfor Parkinson's disease.
Exercising early is actuallythe first treatment that they
tell patients with Parkinson'sdisease because, for some reason
, it really helps before youstart giving medication.
(14:11):
So exercise, I think, isunderrated.
And there's other things too,like your diet, and I know it's
really hard for me as well toexercise too, but also to change
your diet so that you know westop eating saturated fats and
poor foods, fast foods andthings like that, and we eat
things that are healthy, youknow.
(14:33):
So Rush came up with a dietcalled the Mind Diet, and if you
look that up on Google, you'llsee it's like a Mediterranean
diet, high in fish and nuts andberries and things like that,
things that we know are good forus and that we should be eating
every day, and so those are thethings that can really help
(14:54):
exercise eating healthy and thenkeeping your mind active.
That's one of the things thatthere's help exercise, eating
healthy and then keeping yourmind active.
That's one of the things thatthere's been a few studies that
have shown that keeping yourmind active is really important
and that can be, you know,reading, doing crossword puzzles
, games, things like that, tokeep your mind sharp, and the
idea of you know use it or loseit is really a thing you know
(15:19):
your brain will do what you wantit to do as long as you keep it
active.
So those are the best ways, Ithink, to try to reduce your
risk.
There was a study that recentlycame out from Rush here that's
showing that the areas in thecity with lower income and lower
(15:43):
resources they tend to havemore incidence, more, you know,
awareness about helping toprevent, but also having these
(16:04):
people having the lower incomeareas.
See, you know neurologists haveaccess to, to medicine, so
those are that's important aswell.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
Well, definitely, and I think, yeah, people get
scared and don't realize thatthey can go to the doctor.
And those are easy things thatwe can all do, because you do
fall into that trap.
It's so easy to get fast foodand oh, I'm too tired to
exercise, and all that.
Well, I know I've also read toolike socialization being able,
especially when because a lot oftimes people think Alzheimer's
(16:36):
it's in the elderly, so it'simportant for them to also have
social right to be out andtalking to people.
That can help.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
That's right.
Yeah, they found that there'sbeen research that has found
that people with moreconnections, more individual
friends that they speak with ona weekly basis or mostly on a
daily basis, they actually areable to have less incidence of
Alzheimer's disease.
So that's important is to keepthose social connections so that
(17:04):
you don't seem isolated.
And it's important for lovedones who become disabled too.
They might still be very sharp,but if they're disabled they
might not have that contact thatthey used to have with other
people.
So it's important to try toremain in contact with your
family members who may not havethe access to do that, and that
(17:26):
can help, you know, stave offthe disease.
And also, education is a bigdeal, and I know talking to you
know university people here, soI encourage people to stay to
keep you know studying, and theyfound that people with higher
education are actually able tostave off the disease longer,
(17:49):
but they also decline faster.
So it seems to be what we callthis cognitive reserve.
If that's higher, you're ableto stave off the disease longer
before you start to decline.
Speaker 1 (18:04):
Well, there's just another good reason to go to
college.
Then right, that's, right,that's right University of St
Francis.
There you go, that's right, youcould push off the dementia
longer because you're studying.
That's right, that's a goodthing.
So you know what?
What are some things we need toconsider when a family member
is diagnosed with dementia, likethe cost of care and different
(18:26):
things that all go into it,because it really truly they're
there, but they're no longerthere.
You know, with it and it's hardfor someone to understand that
that you really have to starttaking care of them almost like
they're a toddler again.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
Yeah, Care is a big issue and it puts a lot of
stress on family members.
But also thinking about yourown care at that age too and
that's one of the things that Isaw when I did Alzheimer's
research was that the familymembers were under a lot of
stress and they're worried aboutthemselves in the future, you
know, being like mom or dad, andit's really a global issue and
(19:10):
we have different cultures,right.
So here in the US we tend notto live with our parents, where
in Asian countries, or so theymay take in mom and dad when
they're older.
So it's also part of theculture too and it's really
important and it's a really bigissue.
As far as, like you say, costand caring for mom and dad when
(19:33):
they start to decline withAlzheimer's disease, it's a real
big issue.
As Dr Weldon said in hisremarks, it's very expensive and
a lot of time caring for ourfamily members.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
Don't you have a stat , Dr Weldon, about the cost?
Speaker 3 (19:57):
Yeah, the cost I've seen on the low end is $4,000 a
month, but it goes up in excessof $8,000 a month, which could
be daunting for just not onlyAmericans but people the world
over, because, according to theUnited Nations, aging is a
defining global trend well, yeah, because the baby boomers are
(20:20):
all getting older now, so it'scoming into play.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
And yeah, four thousand is very cheap.
I know for myself.
When my mom was in memory care,my dad paid over seven thousand
a month, and that doesn't countany.
Like like supplies that youneed.
You know, know they end up withdiapers and pads and and like
the insure shakes and all thosetypes of things that you end up
(20:44):
having to get with it.
So there's so much to consider,and even if you're taking care
of your family member at home,you still have all those costs
as well, too, with it.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
Definitely in your time.
Those costs as well, too.
With it definitely in your time, um, and and you know, uh,
we're dealing with it right nowwith my, my in-laws, um, and
you're right that that 7 000 isthe low, not the low end because
there's so much more that goesinto it.
They have, they need nursingcare and things like that.
And um, they have other healthissues, you, that they have to
(21:17):
deal with there.
Not only do they have, you know, the Alzheimer's, but they may
have, you know, high bloodpressure and other issues.
So you know it's reallydifficult nursing care and very
expensive and a financial burdenfor society as a whole.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
Yes, it definitely is , and it's hard to get them
Sometimes not only getting them,they get the diagnosis but then
to actually get them into afacility is difficult too,
sometimes to find the rightplace for them.
Speaker 2 (21:46):
A lot of them have waiting lists and things like
that.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
What that, uh, Dr Weldon, do you have more about
that?
Speaker 3 (21:54):
Yeah, just people ask well, what is going on here?
And a lot of this deals withthe longevity dividend here.
I mean, in 1950, the averageAmerican lifespan was 65 years
old.
That's again in 1950.
Now we're approaching 78 yearsand we see that there are great
(22:17):
things that go with that, Ithink.
But we also have to combat whatcomes with it.
That may be, you know, negative, and certainly dementia is one
of those, and it will onlycontinue.
The number of Americans, forexample, ages 100 and older is
projected to more than quadruplein the next three decades, and
(22:37):
older is projected to more thanquadruple in the next three
decades.
So you'll have more than400,000 in 2054.
And that's a great thing.
Speaker 2 (22:47):
We just want to make sure that we can take care of
everyone.
Yeah, that's a great point.
And so there's a study thatthere's actually a group of
studies that Northwestern isdoing on what we call
super-agers.
These are people who are livinginto their 90s and over 100,
but still have this great supermemory like they're in their 20s
still, and what they're tryingto do is understand.
(23:09):
You know what are they doing?
That's different from you know,those who declined to get
dementia, and it's a great study.
Those are great studies to read.
And what can we do and what canseparate these quote unquote
super-agers from the rest ofpeople who decline?
Because there's a theory that,like you were saying, dr Weldon,
(23:34):
as you get older, that you will.
You know that age is a riskfactor for dementia and so, as
you get older, your chances ofhaving dementia is much higher.
And so what can we do to helpprevent that and the cost and
the crisis of time and moneythat go with this crisis?
Speaker 1 (23:59):
and money that go with this crisis.
Yeah, definitely.
I mean it's combined, and thenit gives you anxiety sometimes
when you start thinking aboutall of that.
So, like for somebody like mewho my mom had Alzheimer's, you
know, I think I go back andforth because there's blood
tests and stuff right that youcan take to see if you would
have it, have the gene.
Speaker 2 (24:21):
Oh right.
Yeah, let's talk about genes alittle bit.
So there's an early Alzheimer's, a whole set of genes and you
kind of know from your familybecause these are like before 65
.
So people are gettingAlzheimer's early, so those are
more rare.
Yeah, there's one gene calledAPOE and you can look at your
(24:42):
risk factor If you have the APOEallele 4, especially if you
have two of those that you're athigher risk for getting
Alzheimer's.
We don't know the details ofwhy this is the case, but, like
you say, like we were sayingearlier, if you're eating
healthy and exercising and doingeverything you can, that's
(25:03):
really all you can do as ofright now to prevent.
So do you really want to knowif you're going to, if you have
a higher chance of gettingAlzheimer's by looking at that
gene?
I think most of thoseover-the-counter gene testing.
I think they actually will lookat that.
Now look at those alleles tosee if you have that.
(25:27):
But that's, you know, that'sone of the major risk factors
that can predict Alzheimer's,but otherwise there really is no
other predicting factor.
Speaker 1 (25:37):
Yeah, I know I go back and forth.
I'm like, do I want to know?
I don't know, Like it's kind ofscary.
Speaker 2 (25:43):
It is scary, it's very scary, and you know what
are you going to do if you know?
Right, yeah, it's really.
Some people say I just want toknow because I want to get
things in order and I want toknow.
But some people are like, hey,I don't want to know because you
know it's like you say it'sscary, but we can do these, we
(26:08):
can do preventable things thatcan, even if you have those
alleles that can reduce yourrisk.
Speaker 1 (26:11):
Well, that's good to know.
With that, Dr Walden, do you?
Speaker 3 (26:14):
have.
No, I just want to say it'salways great talking with you,
Travis, because we appreciatethe positivity here.
I'm heartened and I'mencouraged you know, inspired to
kind of like change what I'mdoing, looking at, you know,
looking again at diet, habitsand information that we have to
keep updated on.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
Yeah, and you know, and going to your doctor.
I mean this sounds silly, butgoing to your doctor every year
is a really big deal because youknow having high blood pressure
can increase your chance.
You know these things that wejust have high cholesterol you
can get, you know, have a higherrisk for vascular dementia.
So getting those yearlycheckups is a big deal and some
people like, especially men, youknow we always, whatever we
(26:58):
don't need to go to the doctor,right?
Speaker 3 (27:00):
Yeah, there's some doctor dodging going on there.
Right, that's right.
I'm one of the biggest problems.
I'm like go to the doctor.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
I'm like, okay, getting your skin checked for
cancer, because you know thatsort of thing skin cancer can
lead to, you know, metastasisand death and things like that.
So all these things that we cando to prevent, and this is why,
(27:30):
like you said, dr Weldon, thisis why everybody's living so
long.
We have this great healthsystem in the US and great care,
and we need to utilize that andto improve our own health.
There's such great medicationsfor cholesterol now that can
reduce your risk for vascularissues and stroke and
Alzheimer's or, sorry, vasculardementia and things like that,
and so all the things that weknow that we're supposed to do.
(27:52):
We need to do these and I'm oneof the biggest violators of
that.
You know.
Speaker 3 (27:58):
The cheeseburger looks much better than salmon
with broccoli, go for the blackbeans and rice next time Travis.
Okay, next time I see you,that's what we'll have.
Speaker 2 (28:10):
And even the director , david Bennett, of the Rush
Alzheimer's Disease Center.
He said I force myself toexercise every day.
You know, that's an inspirationfor me, like, hey, I need to do
this.
He sees the results of hisstudies, you know, so I need to
get out there and do some cardiotoday.
It's not easy, though.
Speaker 1 (28:29):
So if somebody wanted to be part of a trial or a
study, is that easy to do, youknow?
Because sometimes people feellike, well, my family member had
it or they might be able tohelp others my family member had
it, or that they might be ableto help others.
Speaker 2 (28:47):
Yeah, so if you go on the, if you kind of search the
Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center,they have different studies
that are going on all the timeand they have a big group of
studies in the Beverly area ofthe city, so like the south part
(29:07):
of the city that they focus on.
But but if there's any studiesthat you see there, you can
definitely check that out andsign up for a study.
It really helps when, when wehave volunteers that can help us
out in our research, we reallyappreciate those.
Those are the lone heroes, thepeople that are that we can
volunteer for studies.
Speaker 1 (29:25):
Well, definitely, because it can always help
someone else.
And one last thing too, likewhen you're dealing with a
person with dementia, what doyou think are some of the best
things you can do for thatperson, because they're still
your loved ones even though theyhave this huge disease?
What advice would you give thecaregiver?
Speaker 2 (29:45):
Yeah.
So I still think you know thegolden rule, right?
I mean, do unto others.
And how would you feel if youwere in that position and how
would you want to be treated?
And that's really the key isyou know mom and dad.
Although they may not rememberyou, they're still mom or dad,
right, and they still need ourlove and care, and more so in
(30:08):
these trying times.
It's really difficult, thoughit's really hard, because they
disappear slowly.
And we're dealing with thiswith my mother-in-laws my wife
the other day.
She's crying in the bathroomlike, oh, I lost my mom already.
It's so heart-wrenching andit's really difficult to go
through these things.
(30:29):
But having that support withyour family, when you know
another family is dealing withthis, it's such a big deal to
say, hey, do you need some help?
And reach out and provide thathelp to your friends and other
family members who have familymembers that are experiencing
(30:49):
this.
And I think we had a greatdiscussion a few times ago when
I was at St Francis about youknow that person is gone, but
they're still there.
It really made me think and Istill think about that.
Speaker 3 (31:08):
Travis, that's exactly right.
That's great advice.
We're treating the disease.
However, always, we're lovingthe person.
Speaker 2 (31:16):
That's right.
That's right.
And it's really difficult whenthey slip away slowly and you're
watching this happen.
They have good days and baddays and it's really hard.
You know these things aren'teasy, but you know we have our
faith and hopefully medicinewill make strides and I know
(31:40):
that there's a lot of dedicatedpeople, especially here at Rush,
that are looking for answers.
Speaker 1 (31:47):
It, definitely it is.
You do you feel like you losethe person twice with it and it
is really hard with it.
Go ahead, dr Walden.
Speaker 3 (31:56):
No, just keep up the great work, travis.
I mean you're one of the loneheroes out there as well.
I mean coming to visits.
The students are alwaysanticipating your visits and
talking about it still.
Speaker 2 (32:07):
Oh, I love it.
I love to talk about it and getthe word out and educate.
It's really great and thank youso much for the invitation.
I love talking with you guys.
Speaker 1 (32:16):
Oh well, thank you, and, like I said, people can go
onto the Rush University websiteand learn more about the
Alzheimer's Disease Center aswell.
I've been on that website andthey have a lot of good
information too, like what wetalked about.
There's a whole thing on thereabout the MIND diet and things
that you could do.
There's a whole book about itas well.
Speaker 2 (32:37):
you can get from the library or somewhere else, yeah,
and they have all theirresearch studies that they have
published all on one site, soit's a really great resource if
you're interested.
Speaker 1 (32:49):
Definitely, because I think for me, I know I found
with my mom and even now, themore I can understand and the
more I learn about it, I feellike I can help.
I was able to help her and thenhelp other people because it's
such a big disease.
We're always learning.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
Yeah, and there is the Alzheimer's Association too,
and they're based out ofChicago and you know they're
right down the road here andthey really are there to support
patients and families.
So if you need resources, reachout to them, to the Alzheimer's
Association, and if you'rethinking of donating, that's one
(33:27):
great thing and I've been onthe grant review process for
that.
They have some great researchthat is coming through there, so
it's a great resource that wehave right in our city.
Speaker 1 (33:38):
Oh, definitely yeah, their website is.
They have a lot of goodinformation on there as well,
too.
Speaker 2 (33:43):
Yeah, they focus a lot on people that are
supporting those who haveAlzheimer's as well, so it's a
really good resource.
Speaker 1 (33:49):
Yes, and Dr Walden, do you have any parting words
for us?
Speaker 3 (33:52):
Yes, one great takeaway here.
I'm pledging here the mind diet.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
Yes, I'm getting on that, yes.
Speaker 2 (33:57):
Let's do it.
Speaker 1 (34:00):
Okay, yeah, we can do it.
We can do it because you got it.
Speaker 2 (34:06):
And, like you said, what's good for the heart is
good for the brain.
Speaker 1 (34:08):
That's right, exactly that's one good takeaway for us
.
Well, thank you so much forjoining me here on patty's place
.
Yes, and hopefully, you know,I'm sure we'll talk again for it
.
So I hope every all of ourlisteners have enjoyed it, hope
they had a good cup of coffee,good cup of tea, and we will see
you next time right here onPatty's Place.
Thanks, thank you.
Speaker 3 (34:28):
Thank you.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!