Alzheimer's Association of Cincinnati - Facts and Figures

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Forecasts really beautiful forecast next several days. Got a sunny

(00:03):
day to day with the highest sixty seven, pretty much
clear overnight down to forty three. Sunny tomorrow with the
highest seventy three, clear overnight.

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Down to fifty four.

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(00:42):
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Speaker 2 (00:47):
Via doct website. Chuck Ingram on fifty five kr scene
the talk station seven thirty one I fifty about krc
DE talk station. Hope you're having a happy Friday.

Speaker 1 (00:57):
Something that's not happy a ultim diagnosis or dealing with
a loved one that has Alzheimer's. It's such a nefarious,
nefarious disease. Joining me to talk about some statistics and
they are frightening statistics regarding Alzheimer's here in the state
of Ohio, but also nationally. Ana Marie Barnett, she's the
executive director of Alzheimer's Association of Greater Cincinnati alz dot

(01:18):
org and then you can find the Cincinnati chapter at
the national website. Animerie, Welcome to the fifty five Carosee
Morning Show. Let me initially start by thanking you for
what you do at the Alzheimer's Association.

Speaker 4 (01:29):
Well, thank you so much for having me today, and
thank you for helping us spread the word and bring awareness.

Speaker 5 (01:36):
This is kind of takes. This is what it's going
to take.

Speaker 1 (01:39):
Well, you know, having lived through with my father and
you know watching my mom struggle caring for him, you know,
you get to the point where you know the caregiver
is is put in a state of medical jeopardy almost
as much as the person with Alzheimer's, because it's really
a twenty four to seven proposition dealing with the person
that struggles with alzheim the care, the clean out, the

(02:01):
trying to encourage them to eat when they won't eat,
and you know, wanting to wander away. I mean, the
problems are just unlimited. And so we ultimately had to
put my father in an Alzheimer's care facility and that
comes with its unique challenges as well. So I have
a very close connection with him. Of course, this is
what killed him ultimately, But he's not alone. I mean,

(02:23):
my late father was not alone. The number of folks
in Ohio alone with Alzheimer's Anna Marie.

Speaker 5 (02:31):
Two hundred and thirty six, two hundred is that number?

Speaker 1 (02:36):
Is it growing faster over the years, because I get
a sense that you know, you hear about oh come on,
the word slipping mind see here. I am struggling this
morning as well. But the number of people with said
various diseases seems to be on the increase. Autism is
what I was struggling for. That's increased dramatically. Has the

(02:57):
number of people with Alzheimer's diagnosis increased over.

Speaker 5 (03:00):
The years, Unfortunately it has.

Speaker 4 (03:02):
Last year in our stats, we reported about nearly six
million Americans with the disease, and this year Unfortunately, it's
seven point two million Americans living with Alzheimer's disease, and
that that number does keep increasing. You know, we're seeing
people age, you know, people are the age of sixty five.

Speaker 5 (03:19):
They're just growing and growing.

Speaker 4 (03:21):
But the other reason we're seeing the increase is people
are getting an early diagnosis. People are talking to their physician.
They want to know if they have the disease. We
found that in our survey this year that one in
nine people that we surveyed said I want to know
if I had Alzheimer's disease.

Speaker 5 (03:38):
So that is what we need.

Speaker 4 (03:41):
We need people to touch with their physicians. We need
early diagnosis. And because we know we have some treatments
out there, we know that there's some things that we
can do. We know that people want to be in
there in part of their care planning. And that's so
so vital and so important for people to know early
that they have this disease or another type of dementia.

Speaker 1 (04:00):
Do they go about diagnosing that you have Alzheimer's disease
or that you are likely to get it? You don't
contract it. It's just part of your genetic makeup, isn't it.

Speaker 4 (04:10):
That's yes, that's true. It is actually a disease. Your
brain is physically dying. When you talk to your physician,
it starts very easily as just a cognitive test. If
the physician see something more, they'll send you for greater testing.
Right now, the testing to determine Alzheimer's disease is either
a PET scan, which is very expensive most insurance doesn't cover,

(04:34):
or a spinal tap, which women would know. That's not
the most fun thing to do. A spinal tap is
not great. But the best thing right now is there's
actually a blood biomarkers test. So I can you imagine,
just go to your doctor, get your annual exam. While
they're running all your blood for everything else, they can
test you for Alzheimer's disease. And that is incredible.

Speaker 1 (04:56):
Well, that is I didn't realize they had gotten it
down to as simple as a blood based test.

Speaker 2 (05:00):
Is it one of those.

Speaker 1 (05:02):
Potentially there could be a false positive or false negative
type of tests. I always worry about that.

Speaker 5 (05:08):
Of course, of course, yeah, yeah, of course, nothing's perfect.
Of course. Of course.

Speaker 4 (05:15):
You know, the blood bio marker test is not widely
available in primary care just yet, but they are using
it and research I know that our friends that you
see are using it as well, but they're also using
the other testing along with it, just you know, to
make sure that the diagnosis is clear. They are still
using a pet scan or a spinal tap. But the

(05:35):
accuracy of the blood bio marker is is like ninety
eight percent.

Speaker 5 (05:39):
It's amazing, and that's you know, think about all the
people in the rural areas.

Speaker 4 (05:43):
That don't have access to you know, positions, and they
don't have access to hospitals. You know, it's this is
really going to, you know, be a game changer for us.

Speaker 1 (05:52):
Yeah, I just I'm vacillating back and forth in my
head whether I would want to know, you know, everybody
always has their quote unquote senior moment. I think, oh
my god, is this an indicator that maybe the onset
of Alzheimer's. But getting a definitive yes, you do, would
I don't know. I don't know how that would upend
my life or how I would react to that. Let's pause,
We'll bring Anne Marie Barnett, executive director of the Alzheimer's

(06:13):
Association of Greater Cincinnati, got more to talk about it,
more statistics to go over, and more information to learn
about this awful, awful disease. Seven thirty six right now
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Speaker 2 (07:30):
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but Jen and I weather forecast.

Speaker 1 (07:35):
You gotta love this one sunny and dry day to
day with a high sixty seven over nine kind of
clear and forty three for the low. A seventy three
high Tomorrow is sunny, sky's clear every night, fifty four
Mother's Day, beautiful sunny day. It'll be dry as well.
Seventy six for the high. It's forty seven right now.
Let's hear about traffic.

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Speaker 3 (08:01):
Northbound seventy five of slow go out of downtown to
an accident at the Western Hills Viaduct that has had
the left lane block. They're over on the right shoulder.
Now have a traffic on Beachmont Avenue as the funeral
procession for Deputy Henderson moves through Anderson Township. Chuck Ingram
on fifty five KRC DEEP Talk Station.

Speaker 1 (08:22):
Seven forty fifty five KRCD Talk Station, Anna Marie Barnett,
executive Director Alzheimer's Association with Greater Cincinnati talking Alzheimer's here,
and the statistics are not pretty to look at. More
and more people are being diagnosed with Alzheimer's. You did
mention there is a blood test that you can have
to find out whether or not you are we're going
to get Alzheimer's, or have the indication you are. And

(08:44):
I expressed, Anna Marie, some concern about knowing that, because
you know, how do you live your life knowing the
next day it may start presenting itself or you may
start having problems. You know what the inevitable is going
to be because at least as of right now, there's
no cure for it. So first let me address the
question for marine, is there a name for that blood

(09:04):
biomarker test for Alzheimer's or you just ask your physician, Hey,
including my blood results, I want the blood based biomarker
test for Alzheimer's sure.

Speaker 4 (09:14):
Well, as I mentioned, it is not widely available in
primary care physicians offices right now.

Speaker 5 (09:20):
Most of them are not familiar with it yet.

Speaker 4 (09:23):
We are actually in the process of creating some more
guidelines around how to use the blood biomarker. So there
are some positions I know that are using it, but
they are also using it in conjunction with other testing
just to get an accurate diagnosis. So you may go
to your position and they may say, I have no
idea what you're talking about.

Speaker 5 (09:41):
So we sell a.

Speaker 4 (09:42):
Little bit more time before we can get this widely
available in primary care. But if you go to a homrologist,
you can start asking those questions and they can start
getting you a diagnosis much easier and much sooner.

Speaker 5 (09:57):
You know, it is going to be a game changer.

Speaker 4 (09:58):
It's a blood biomarker test and a simple thing er pricks,
so it's going to be really pretty amazing.

Speaker 5 (10:05):
But there is no name yet.

Speaker 1 (10:06):
Okay, fair enough, And obviously if you aren't seeing a neurologist,
you could get a PCP to refer you to one
or find one that's available in your area. So moving
over one of the reasons that would Negate. My concern
about knowing, it's like, I don't know one way or
another whether I would want to know about this, But
there are they are rolling out some treatment options for

(10:29):
folks to get ahead of it. Do we have any
really positive information along the lines of treatments that's available
out there Anemory.

Speaker 4 (10:39):
Yes, we actually have two treatments right now that are
showing to slow the progression of the disease down in
the early early stages of the disease in most people.
We actually I know that there are people right here
in Gridter, Cincinnati that are getting that treatment, which is amazing.

Speaker 5 (10:55):
They're doing very well.

Speaker 4 (10:56):
I actually we had a big GABA last night and
I did text this people there last night that were
on the treatment. They're doing really well. And we have
one hundred and forty one more treatments in the pipeline.
We have, you know, four hundred and thirty million dollars
across the world in fifty six centuries and eleven hundred projects.

Speaker 5 (11:15):
In research, So we are going.

Speaker 4 (11:19):
To find a cure. We're going to find more treatments
and the best thing I think one of the things
I really want everyone to know and be aware of
is At the end of July, we will be coming
out with results from our US POINTER study that we
actually did here in the United States that we funded.

Speaker 5 (11:38):
It is a prevention study.

Speaker 4 (11:40):
It is talking about lifestyle change and what you can
do to help prevent all summer's disease. So I cannot
wait for those results. I'm very excited about those. This
is a study that's going on worldwide and the results
have been amazing. So everybody keeps asking me, that's that's
a question. Everybody asked me. How do I prevent? What

(12:01):
do I do?

Speaker 2 (12:01):
What do I do?

Speaker 4 (12:02):
Stay tuned, Stay tuned. We'll have more for you on
some lifestyle change. It's all common sense, right, but.

Speaker 5 (12:09):
You have to sit with it. You have you have
to have a just like anything, if you go on
a diet, right, you have to stick with it. So
you have to sit with the lifestyle change.

Speaker 1 (12:18):
So this will be dietary changes, perhaps, exercise changes perhaps,
or maybe exercises like you know, brain exercises, like reading,
is it is it?

Speaker 2 (12:28):
Things along those lines, Yes, all.

Speaker 5 (12:30):
Of that, all of that.

Speaker 4 (12:31):
So exercise, you know, making sure that you're going out
and interacting with people. That's a huge that's a huge deal.
Exercising your brain. Nutrition you know, is definitely really really
huge as well. So yes, all of those things will
be coming out, and you know, having science behind lifestyle
change and knowing that that's going to help you in

(12:53):
the future, I think is going to be really another
game changer that we have.

Speaker 1 (12:58):
Well, can I at least ask you if you have
any inside baseball on what we're putting into our bodies
that maybe we shouldn't be that are it's connected perhaps
with the higher incidents of Alzheimer's disease.

Speaker 4 (13:09):
No that that there's no definitive tests that are saying, yeah,
don't eat this at all. The brain is complicated, right, Yeah,
so it's going to take a little bit more time
to figure out, like, you know what, what is it?

Speaker 5 (13:23):
It's going to be am. It's a combination of things,
you know.

Speaker 4 (13:25):
And one of the things we're saying with Alzheimer's disease
now is you don't just have Alzheimer's disease, but we're
seeing mixed dementia. For example, my mother had vascular dementia
and Alzheimer's disease, So we're seeing that, you know, this
is a little more complicated even that we originally thought, so.

Speaker 2 (13:42):
There is a sort of a spectrum for Alzheimer's.

Speaker 4 (13:46):
Yeah, yes, yes, it's you know, dementia is are umbrella term, right,
and then under dementia there's different types of Alzheimer's disease.
There's different types of dementia. Pypologize. Alzheimer's is the most common. Yeah,
it starts very early with mild cognitive impairment, you know,
early stage. So there is a progression of the disease
that we're very familiar with. And that's something you know

(14:09):
when you were saying you don't know if you want
to know, knowing just gives you knowledge, right, It gives
you the wherewithal to say, Okay, this is what I
want you know in my life, this is my plan.
The other thing that does is it helps the people
in your life. It helps your family know, like why
is you know, why is he acting like that? I
don't understand. It explains behavior. It's it's really important to know.

(14:34):
And I would just encourage people if they want to know.
You know, it's hard, right, I mean, I.

Speaker 5 (14:40):
Know it's a difficult decision whether or not you want
to know.

Speaker 4 (14:44):
But just seeing what I've seen and knowing the people
that are in the early stages that are actively involved
in their care planning. I think it's really important for
people to be involved in now.

Speaker 1 (14:55):
Oh, you make some good arguments. Anna Marie Barbet, Executive
douction All Sides. So Alzheimer's Association grittersons Ani alz dot
org is where you start national chapter and then there's
the chapters that are local you can find on that website.
And I suppose Anna Marie, that's a place where people
can stay on top of the release of these new
studies and information that are coming out.

Speaker 4 (15:14):
Absolutely, yes, alz dot Org slash Cincinnati is our local website.

Speaker 5 (15:20):
We will definitely have more coming out.

Speaker 4 (15:22):
It's actually from our Alzheimer's Association International conference. It's the
largest Alzheimer's research conference in the world. We will have
lots of things coming out from that conference, So stay tuned,
keep an eye on our website, follow us on Facebook.

Speaker 5 (15:36):
We will have everything posted on Facebook.

Speaker 4 (15:39):
It's the best research conference. I go every year and
sometimes it's a little over my head, but you know,
they are really good about tell dumbing it down for
us and letting us know, like this is what this
actually means. So those are the things that we will
put out there, and I really do encourage people to
keep an eye on that and make sure you know
if you have questions, please call us locally.

Speaker 1 (16:00):
We're here for you, and consider donating to the Alzheimer's
Organization if you have a charitable contribution in mind. And
that's where we steered the uh the memorial contributions when
my father passed away from the complications or complications of Alzheimer's.
So happy to steer my listeners in that direction. Any
little bit, every little bit counts in terms of doing
this research. And I appreciate your optimism on the treatments

(16:22):
that are coming out and hopefully we'll come out soon.
And Marie, it just would be nice to know if
anybody has any optimism about a treatment that might reverse
the the Alzheimer's progression.

Speaker 2 (16:32):
You know what I mean?

Speaker 5 (16:34):
I do, I absolutely do. If if this was around
on my mom.

Speaker 4 (16:38):
Had a disease, I would absolutely have made sure that
she was, you know, a part of that treatment.

Speaker 5 (16:43):
But you know, when you can get more time, you know,
what wouldn't you give? What wouldn't you give for more
time with your dad? Right?

Speaker 2 (16:50):
Amen?

Speaker 4 (16:51):
Now this is but this is where we are and
so we just need people to be a part of
it and you know, help help help us fund of research.

Speaker 5 (16:58):
It's that's the vital part of this is the research.

Speaker 4 (17:01):
But I don't I do want to stress and make
I really want to stress and make sure everyone knows.

Speaker 5 (17:05):
So if you're on the journey.

Speaker 4 (17:07):
Now or you get a diagnosis, we are here locally
for you with care consultants, with our free programs and services,
everything we have to help you through this journey until
that day comes where we have a world without Alzheimer's
and all of their dementia.

Speaker 1 (17:21):
Alc dot orgs Last Cincinnati, Anri, thank you so much
for what you're doing each and every day and for
spending time with my listeners and me this morning, very
very informational and enlightening.

Speaker 2 (17:30):
You have a wonderful weekend. We'll talk again soon. Seven fifty.

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