October 24, 2023 • 18 mins
An estimated 6.7 million Americans aged 65 and older are living with Alzheimer's in 2023. That’s 1 in 9 people...for a lot of us, that’s our parents, our Grandparents and sadly maybe US one day. So, we need to learn about it and know what’s being done to help those with it, because it’s a really sad way to see someone you love spend their final years. Thankfully we have the Alzheimer’s Association...the leading voluntary group offering care, support, advocacy and research. There is A LOT being done to fight Alzheimer's & Dementia including a big fundraising Walk Sat 10/28th in downtown LA Hosted by our friend Lynette Romero.
Aired October 15, 2023: Lisa Foxx talks to Meg Barren, the Regional Leader and Executive Director of the Southland Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. We discussed the difference between Alzheimer's and Dementia, how to know the signs of Alz vs getting old/forgetful. They offer care/support: free, local support groups, education classes, social engagement opportunities in-person, online or via telephone. •
The Alzheimer's Association 24/7 Helpline - 800.272.3900 - is available 365 days a year, all day and night, to answer any questions on any of these topics and offers services in 200 languages. It is staffed by master's-level clinicians.
We are in the age of treatment, and early detection is more important than ever (Meg speaks very well to this in easy-to-understand terms) • This past year, two drugs, Aduhelm (Ad-U-Helm) and Leqembi (Leh-Kem-Bee) were approved by the FDA for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, and Leqembi received full FDA approval just this past summer. All treatments must be administered in the early stages of Alzheimer's, so that early detection is important • Get those annual exams. After age 65, cognitive assessments are free, please ask your primary care physician
The Walk to End Alzheimer's, Los Angeles, is October 28 at L.A. LIVE- there is no cost to participate, please register today at alz.org/walk. • The walk to End Alzheimer's is the world's largest fundraiser for Alzheimer's care, support, advocacy and research. • Register at alz.org/walk • It's a family affair- featuring a community resource fair, trick-or-treating and more. Most importantly, the walk brings together the community, reminding us that no one is alone in the fight to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia.
Aired October 15, 2023: Lisa Foxx talks to Meg Barren, the Regional Leader and Executive Director of the Southland Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. We discussed the difference between Alzheimer's and Dementia, how to know the signs of Alz vs getting old/forgetful. They offer care/support: free, local support groups, education classes, social engagement opportunities in-person, online or via telephone. •
The Alzheimer's Association 24/7 Helpline - 800.272.3900 - is available 365 days a year, all day and night, to answer any questions on any of these topics and offers services in 200 languages. It is staffed by master's-level clinicians.
We are in the age of treatment, and early detection is more important than ever (Meg speaks very well to this in easy-to-understand terms) • This past year, two drugs, Aduhelm (Ad-U-Helm) and Leqembi (Leh-Kem-Bee) were approved by the FDA for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, and Leqembi received full FDA approval just this past summer. All treatments must be administered in the early stages of Alzheimer's, so that early detection is important • Get those annual exams. After age 65, cognitive assessments are free, please ask your primary care physician
The Walk to End Alzheimer's, Los Angeles, is October 28 at L.A. LIVE- there is no cost to participate, please register today at alz.org/walk. • The walk to End Alzheimer's is the world's largest fundraiser for Alzheimer's care, support, advocacy and research. • Register at alz.org/walk • It's a family affair- featuring a community resource fair, trick-or-treating and more. Most importantly, the walk brings together the community, reminding us that no one is alone in the fight to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Lisa Fox here, thanks so muchfor having us on. This is the
iHeart So Cal Show. All right, so'en estimated six point seven million Americans
aged sixty five and older are livingwith Alzheimer's. That's one in nine people,
and for a lot of us,that's our parents, our grandparents,
and sadly, maybe us one day. So what we need to do is
learn about it, not be afraidto talk about it, and know what's
(00:23):
being done about helping those who haveit, because it's really a sad way
to see someone you love live theirfinal years. Thankfully, we have people
like to find folks at the Alzheimer'sAssociation, the leading voluntary group offering care
and support and advocacy and research.Feeling those research dollars. There's a lot
(00:45):
being done to fight Alzheimer's and dementia, including a big fundraiser, the Walk
to End Alzheimer's Saturday, October twentyeighth in downtown LA, hosted by our
good friendly Net Romero of NBC Channelfour. We're hoping lots of folks will
come out so that we can notonly raise money to fight this thing,
but also be there to show loveand support for families. Dealing with a
(01:06):
loved one living with Alzheimer's and dementia. There's lots to dive into, and
we'll do that with my friend,the original leader and executive director of the
Southland Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association.Hello Meg Baron, Hello Lisa, how
are you. I'm doing all right. You know, I'm very grateful to
the Alzheimer's Association for helping to bringpeople together who, you know, without
you, guys might might have feltvery alone and isolated when you have a
(01:27):
loved one with Alzheimer's. Years ago, you know, I just knew my
friend, my girlfriend Lynette, hermom Viola, had suffered from dementia for
a long time before she passed.Now, my boyfriend of three years at
Eric's mom has had it for eightyears. My auntie Jeanette was just diagnosed
with dementia just months ago. AndI know you were very close with your
(01:47):
grandma who died after a long battlewith Alzheimer's. I mean, it's a
I hate to say it's a weirdclub to be in, but gosh,
it's better to not do it aloneand feel like you've got support from people
who unders stand it and can helpguide you through it. It's absolutely true.
I mean, watching my grandmother fortwelve years go through this journey was
extremely difficult and it definitely affects theentire family. And the Alzheimer's Association has
(02:14):
been helping families get through this soto speak, for how long now?
Oh gosh. The Alzheimer's Association cameabout in nineteen eighty and offering so much
help to families in need, offeringfree local support groups, education classes,
offering care and support in person,online and via telephone, and just the
helpline phone number alone, a freeand easy way to just reach out.
(02:35):
Make a call, ask ah mymom. I got some questions about my
mom. She's doing some wacky stuffaround the house and I'm not sure how
do I approach it? What doI do? Where can I go?
How do I talk to her?Or I think my grandma is showing signs
of dementia, like something's not right. I just who do I talk to?
Well? You start with her helplinetwenty four to seven, three hundred
and sixty five days a year.The helpline number eight hundred and two seven
(02:58):
two thirty nine hundred. There aretwo seven to thirty nine hundred, any
and every question, totally okay toask everything. Someone that you love might
be developing science or symptoms of Alzheimer'sor dementia. Absolutely, and as I
said earlier, the entire family isaffected by this disease. And what we
can provide is resources, tools andsupport for everybody in that family who are
(03:22):
on this journey together. And it'sfor Alzheimer's and all dementia. What is
it to have Alzheimer's versus dementia?And you know, how are they different?
Sure? I think the simplest wayto describe it is dementia is the
overarching or the big umbrella term.I usually say like cancer is the big
overarching term, and there's many differenttypes of cancer. That's the same with
(03:43):
dementia. Dementia is the big againumbrella term, and then there's many different
types of dementia. Alzheimer's is atype of dementia. And the kind of
a strange part of the disease isyou can have mixed dementia. So my
grandmother had Alzheimer's and vascular dementia together. So it is a very unique disease
(04:04):
that we are still learning a lotabout. And again, you know,
the stats that I threw out earlier, one in nine people, affecting so
many, mostly older people. Andyou know, we've made kind of references
over the years of like, oh, you know, you know that's old
age. You're just forgetful. You'reforgetting because that's what old people do.
Let's talk about the difference between justbeing older, getting older, and being
(04:28):
forgetful versus showing signs of Alzheimer's ordementia. We all get forgetful, I
mean our brain's age, so normalforgetfulness is not Alzheimer's. Alzheimer's is a
deadly brain disease. And the sadpart about it is is, yes,
you can see that forgetfulness, butit will continue on as your brain deteriorates.
(04:50):
So again, I forget my purseconstantly, and my husband gives me
a hard time, but I'm ableto retrace my steps, remember where I
left my purse or my keys orwhatever. Someone living with Alzheimer's is not
able to retrace their steps. That'sanother sign of that we talk about one
of our signs of Alzheimer's disease.Yeah, and just noticing weird behavior,
(05:14):
a change of behavior. My momwas a caregiver years ago professionally, and
she was trained to look for earlyscigns of Alzheimer's and it was the types
of things like finding a patient's housekeys in the freezer, or that they
had put their clothing, you know, like a couple of sweaters in the
in the oven. Red flag behaviorfor sure, and potentially dangerous behavior,
especially if you have a parent orgrandparent living alone that might have Alzheimer's or
(05:39):
dementia. That's why if you questionit, anytime is a good time to
call that phone number, the helplineat eight hundred and two seven two thirty
nine hundred right anytime, anytime.This disease is not slowing and we can
either. I have called that numberfor family members in the middle of the
night because sometimes that's when you needthe most help. Is it two in
(06:00):
the morning, when your loved oneis walking around trying to leave the house.
You need to have somebody there tosupport you. These are master level
counselors. This is a free phonecall. Call I'm and ask for help.
Yeah, I told you my auntwas just recently diagnosed with dementia.
My older antie Janette, and mycousin you know, the family is they're
trying to figure out all these newsteps as to what to do and the
(06:24):
hardest thing, you know, Igave her the phone number. I'm like,
Julie, you got to call thenumber. You got to call my
friends at the Alzheimer's Association and tryto get some advice and some help as
to how we're going to need tochange our lives to help Auntie stay safe
at home with this disease. Probablya lot of people listening right now who
might be, you know, thecaregiver in their family and as the caregiver
right it's very expensive to put someonein a home or to get somebody set
(06:47):
up with a proper allsaimer's care,you know about the professionals or dementia care.
It's very very expensive. A lotof families do it on their own,
and it's a lot to take on. But even just calling that free
number, that's a start to getsome help and some guidance. Absolutely,
and we have so many classes,programs. Our website is award winning.
(07:10):
It is have so many wonderful videos. One of the videos, or a
set of videos that I've used ishow to take the keys away from a
loved one who might be showing signsof Alzheimer's disease or been diagnosed. One
of the most difficult conversation is howto stop driving, because that's really taking
away your independence. And they showthree different scenarios and really help lead families
(07:32):
through that difficult conversation. And sadly, the older you get, the older
we all get. It will becomemore common in your life, whether in
your family or your friends' families,people that you know, people that you
work with, your neighbors. Youcan reach out. So much help and
information is available to you all forfree at All's dot org and through that
phone number, and that you're notalone and speaking of getting help, help
(07:57):
is on the way. Help isfinally happening. After all these years of
this Gosstarn disease robbing our loved onesso much, all these fundraisers fuel in
all that research finally paid off.There are new treatments and medications now available
for people with Alzheimer's and dementia.It's really exciting. I mean, I've
been dealing with Alzheimer's and dementia sincenineteen eighty and this is one of the
(08:22):
most exciting advancements that we're seeing inAlzheimer's since then, it is so exciting
and that is new treatments and they'retreatments that help slow the progression of the
disease. And how how does itwork. Well, if the name of
the drug is lakimbi, it isyou're treated with it for six months up
(08:43):
to six months. The way youget it is through your doctor, and
you have to have an early diagnosis. I think that's the biggest thing is
when you start seeing your loved onewith the signs or yourself with any signs,
go talk to your doctor. Becausethese drugs can own be administered in
the early phases of the disease.And hey, I mean if that can
(09:03):
give, like you said, slowthe progression, can offer some hope and
just give you more time. That'sthe thing what's so terrible about Alzheimer's and
dementia. It robs you of youknow, that person's memory, but also
of time. It robs you.You feel oftentimes you feel robbed of time,
and this could help slow that thewhole process absolutely, and you're exactly
right. It gives you more time, more time to be with your families,
(09:26):
more time to continue working. Somepeople aren't ready to stop working so
you can keep working, keeping withyour families, keep enjoying life in the
early phase of the disease. Thisdisease does not mean you need to hide.
This means you need to be outand about with all the people you
love, be social. And thedrugs can help you do that. And
it does make one feel a littlevindicated, right, all the years of
(09:48):
a fundraising and filling money into researchand just waiting, waiting, when you're
like, finally it happened. Soit makes me feel even more excited about
attending these fundraisers because like, Okay, now we're getting somewhere. Let's keep
it going until we find a curefor this thing. So I know the
walk has come up on Saturday,October twenty eighth, so we're going to
talk all about that, touch onany other upcoming fundraisers, but then we'll
(10:11):
dive into the walk and how wecan get people out there for the walk
to end Alzheimer's. Sure, wehave a big luncheon coming up on November
ninth, it's a Beverly Hills Hotel. Of course, we have our gala
on May ninth, we seem tolike nine, and then of course our
walk to end Alzheimer's, which isour biggest event. It's not just a
(10:31):
fundraiser. We call it our movingsupport group. It is full of individuals
that are there to either remember lovedones, bring their loved ones that are
living with the disease, are thereto get material and education on the disease.
It is a walk. It isagain a largest event across the country,
and LA has a big walk onOctober twenty eighth, and we are
(10:54):
all going to be there. Ericand I'll be walking on behalf of his
mom now my aunt Andy Janet.How early are we all heading down there
to downtown on the twenty eighth,eight am. We're going to get up
early and we're there to scare awayAlzheimer's. There you go. It is
of course Halloween weekend, so wedefinitely want to be there for the whole
family. So bring out your costumes, bring your puppies dressed up, come
(11:18):
out and help us end Alzheimer's disease. I always say that the walk,
if we can bring big crowds andraise our voices loud, that will get
the media to pay attention. Andif the media pays attention, our politicians
will pay attention. If they payattention, darn it. We're going to
get the funds to be able toend a disease. And if you're looking
for a team to join, youcan join Team Lynette. I'm a good
(11:41):
girlfriend. Lynette Romero now with theNBC Channel four on behalf of her mom,
sweet mom Viola, who passed justalmost two years ago. Lenna,
it's gotten very involved with the organization. Now she's going to help co m
see the big walk down Alzheimer's onthe twenty eighth, So I know she
would love for folks to join herteam. She just did a big post
about it on her social media.If you want to join Lynette's team for
(12:03):
the Walk to end Alzheimer's, wewill be out there and full force,
raising money, coming together and hopingto make a difference. So let's get
just signed up. Let's get yourregistered. It's free to register, by
the way, but we just wantto know that you're coming, so please
get signed up so we know toexpect you at alls dot org for the
twenty eighth in downtown. And again, you know she and her family,
they were the caregivers of her momliving with dementia for over ten years and
(12:28):
it was a really really tough roadtowards the end there. So for her,
it'll be probably lots of tears,you know, as I'm really good
at so it'll be some tears downthere, and I'm sure people will be,
you know, whether we're rocking aHalloween costume or rocking the color purple,
the color of Alzheimer's. We're welcometo represent on behalf of our loved
ones with signs and posters and carrythose two right, absolutely posters. I've
(12:50):
seen families do t shirts with theirloved one photo. I definitely carry a
photo of my grandmother. It isso meaningful and it really is about family
and again, whatever you're going throughwith your family, if there's a question
about Alzheimer's or dementia, a questionabout what to do if you have a
family member with that or showing symptomsor signs that they might have it.
(13:11):
The number to call for all theinfo that eight hundred two seven to two
thirty nine hundred number eight hundred thirtynine hundred, the Alzheimer's Association twenty four
seven helpline. That's also in prettymuch every language. Right you have someone
that could help in any language.It is two hundred languages and it's staffed
by master's level clinicians. You know, again, I've called this number,
(13:33):
and don't be scared to call it. It really is a help. The
many calls I've received are around aloved one trying to leave home, or
they keep talking about another loved one. I know, like my grandmother used
to talk about my grandfather, askwhere he is? Why isn't he here,
getting very irate because he wasn't there, and of course he had died
(13:54):
many years before, and you becomevery emotional. You try to reason someone
with Alzheimer's disease, and unfortunately,one of the things they lose with the
disease is the ability to reason,so it becomes very stressful for everyone.
I know. One of the adviceI was given with my grandmother was to
turn on her favorite music and haveher music playing, and sometimes that can
(14:16):
calm a loved one down. Sothey'll help with just giving tips, they'll
help with resources where to find thoseresources locally. You know, sometimes people
call looking for support groups. Thereare many, many reasons why people call,
but they're there to answer all thequestions. And again, it's eight
hundred two seven to two thirty ninehundred, eight hundred two three nine hundred
(14:39):
for the Alzheimer's Association. Help locally, help nationwide. Right This number is
a nationwide phone numbers, So ifyou have relatives back east or up in
northern California or any part of thecountry, this number will help anyone everywhere
with the resources in wherever they arein the country. Absolutely, And I
would like to add on at theLA Walk on October twenty eighth, all
of our resources will be there,all of our local resources will be there.
(15:01):
You'll have all the power of theAlzheimer's Association, all our tools and
resources at the walk, plus manyof our partners in the community that are
also bringing resources and support for families. So come out and learn about all
of the resources available to you.And you know, we talked about some
promising new treatments and medications to helpthose with Alzheimer's. And I know it's
(15:24):
been talked about before, and youcan google it. You know I've googled
it before. You know, Eric, my boyfriend, his mom has Alzheimer's.
A fear for a lot of people. Is it hereditary or what can
I do to try to not getAlzheimer's you know, touch on that because
you can read a lot about it. It's no guarantee, but there are
some things that we can try todo to maybe curb our chance of getting
(15:46):
Alzheimer's or dementia. Right, Definitely, there is a way you can limit
your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.Definitely. On our website at alz dot
org, you can look at allthe ways of keeping your brain healthy and
there are many ways. Sleep.Sleep is a huge, huge thing that
everybody needs to really pay attention togetting in a good amount of sleep.
(16:07):
You know, what is healthy foryour heart is healthy for your brain,
So eat well, exercise. Thisis all going to help your brain stay
healthy. There is still a lotof great research going on around you know,
healthy brain and how we can limitthat risk and even you know,
limit the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. And that research is happening here in
(16:29):
southern California. Yeah, and myGrammar Rose, God bless your Grammar Rose.
At the age of ninety six,lovely Grammar Rose is still pretty sharp
most of the time, and shedoes those crossword puzzles every single day.
That's going to be a good brainworkout right it is. I had a
researcher once tell me that a greatway to exercise the brain was to Monday,
(16:49):
Wednesday, Friday brush your teeth withyour left hand, and Tuesday,
Thursday, Saturday brush your teeth withthe right hand. And I guess Sunday
is up in the air. Ido the hang with the same with brushing
your hair. Just change things up. When we finish school, we don't
do as much reading and questioning aswe do leaving high school or college.
(17:10):
So now, as an adult,do something different to really exercise your brain.
Learn an instrument, learn how toplay an instrument, learn a new
language, keep your brain active,keep your brain challenge. I like that
what I feel like. You justgave us all an assignment with the toothbrushing.
Okay, so say it again,because this is what Meg Baron is
gonna leave us with well, andof course that we hope to see you
(17:32):
with the walk the walk to endAlls on Sday, October twenty eighth and
downtown La all the infloid Alls dotorg, Alz dot org. But the
assignment for our brain exercise, Meg, We're gonna do what with the tooth
brushing? I love this, Ohmy goodness. Change things up and change
the way you think. One wayis brush your teeth with your left hand
(17:53):
on Monday, Wednesday, Friday withyour right hand on Tuesday, Thursday,
Saturday, and Sunday is a freeday. To pick whatever hand you want
to use to brush your teeth.But just change things up and challenge your
brain. I'm so excited all ofa sudden. Thank you for that.
We've got some homework to do.People homework to do, and of course
they get a wealth of information.As Meg said on their website at All's
(18:15):
dot org, the phone umber tocall it anytime eight hundred and twenty seven
to thirty nine hundred with any questionsand to know you're not alone. Meg
Baron Alzheimer's Association, thank you foreverything that you do. And we'll see
at the walk on the twenty eighth. Thank you,
Lisa Fox here, thanks so muchfor having us on. This is the
iHeart So Cal Show. All right, so'en estimated six point seven million Americans
aged sixty five and older are livingwith Alzheimer's. That's one in nine people,
and for a lot of us,that's our parents, our grandparents,
and sadly, maybe us one day. So what we need to do is
learn about it, not be afraidto talk about it, and know what's
(00:23):
being done about helping those who haveit, because it's really a sad way
to see someone you love live theirfinal years. Thankfully, we have people
like to find folks at the Alzheimer'sAssociation, the leading voluntary group offering care
and support and advocacy and research.Feeling those research dollars. There's a lot
(00:45):
being done to fight Alzheimer's and dementia, including a big fundraiser, the Walk
to End Alzheimer's Saturday, October twentyeighth in downtown LA, hosted by our
good friendly Net Romero of NBC Channelfour. We're hoping lots of folks will
come out so that we can notonly raise money to fight this thing,
but also be there to show loveand support for families. Dealing with a
(01:06):
loved one living with Alzheimer's and dementia. There's lots to dive into, and
we'll do that with my friend,the original leader and executive director of the
Southland Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association.Hello Meg Baron, Hello Lisa, how
are you. I'm doing all right. You know, I'm very grateful to
the Alzheimer's Association for helping to bringpeople together who, you know, without
you, guys might might have feltvery alone and isolated when you have a
(01:27):
loved one with Alzheimer's. Years ago, you know, I just knew my
friend, my girlfriend Lynette, hermom Viola, had suffered from dementia for
a long time before she passed.Now, my boyfriend of three years at
Eric's mom has had it for eightyears. My auntie Jeanette was just diagnosed
with dementia just months ago. AndI know you were very close with your
(01:47):
grandma who died after a long battlewith Alzheimer's. I mean, it's a
I hate to say it's a weirdclub to be in, but gosh,
it's better to not do it aloneand feel like you've got support from people
who unders stand it and can helpguide you through it. It's absolutely true.
I mean, watching my grandmother fortwelve years go through this journey was
extremely difficult and it definitely affects theentire family. And the Alzheimer's Association has
(02:14):
been helping families get through this soto speak, for how long now?
Oh gosh. The Alzheimer's Association cameabout in nineteen eighty and offering so much
help to families in need, offeringfree local support groups, education classes,
offering care and support in person,online and via telephone, and just the
helpline phone number alone, a freeand easy way to just reach out.
(02:35):
Make a call, ask ah mymom. I got some questions about my
mom. She's doing some wacky stuffaround the house and I'm not sure how
do I approach it? What doI do? Where can I go?
How do I talk to her?Or I think my grandma is showing signs
of dementia, like something's not right. I just who do I talk to?
Well? You start with her helplinetwenty four to seven, three hundred
and sixty five days a year.The helpline number eight hundred and two seven
(02:58):
two thirty nine hundred. There aretwo seven to thirty nine hundred, any
and every question, totally okay toask everything. Someone that you love might
be developing science or symptoms of Alzheimer'sor dementia. Absolutely, and as I
said earlier, the entire family isaffected by this disease. And what we
can provide is resources, tools andsupport for everybody in that family who are
(03:22):
on this journey together. And it'sfor Alzheimer's and all dementia. What is
it to have Alzheimer's versus dementia?And you know, how are they different?
Sure? I think the simplest wayto describe it is dementia is the
overarching or the big umbrella term.I usually say like cancer is the big
overarching term, and there's many differenttypes of cancer. That's the same with
(03:43):
dementia. Dementia is the big againumbrella term, and then there's many different
types of dementia. Alzheimer's is atype of dementia. And the kind of
a strange part of the disease isyou can have mixed dementia. So my
grandmother had Alzheimer's and vascular dementia together. So it is a very unique disease
(04:04):
that we are still learning a lotabout. And again, you know,
the stats that I threw out earlier, one in nine people, affecting so
many, mostly older people. Andyou know, we've made kind of references
over the years of like, oh, you know, you know that's old
age. You're just forgetful. You'reforgetting because that's what old people do.
Let's talk about the difference between justbeing older, getting older, and being
(04:28):
forgetful versus showing signs of Alzheimer's ordementia. We all get forgetful, I
mean our brain's age, so normalforgetfulness is not Alzheimer's. Alzheimer's is a
deadly brain disease. And the sadpart about it is is, yes,
you can see that forgetfulness, butit will continue on as your brain deteriorates.
(04:50):
So again, I forget my purseconstantly, and my husband gives me
a hard time, but I'm ableto retrace my steps, remember where I
left my purse or my keys orwhatever. Someone living with Alzheimer's is not
able to retrace their steps. That'sanother sign of that we talk about one
of our signs of Alzheimer's disease.Yeah, and just noticing weird behavior,
(05:14):
a change of behavior. My momwas a caregiver years ago professionally, and
she was trained to look for earlyscigns of Alzheimer's and it was the types
of things like finding a patient's housekeys in the freezer, or that they
had put their clothing, you know, like a couple of sweaters in the
in the oven. Red flag behaviorfor sure, and potentially dangerous behavior,
especially if you have a parent orgrandparent living alone that might have Alzheimer's or
(05:39):
dementia. That's why if you questionit, anytime is a good time to
call that phone number, the helplineat eight hundred and two seven two thirty
nine hundred right anytime, anytime.This disease is not slowing and we can
either. I have called that numberfor family members in the middle of the
night because sometimes that's when you needthe most help. Is it two in
(06:00):
the morning, when your loved oneis walking around trying to leave the house.
You need to have somebody there tosupport you. These are master level
counselors. This is a free phonecall. Call I'm and ask for help.
Yeah, I told you my auntwas just recently diagnosed with dementia.
My older antie Janette, and mycousin you know, the family is they're
trying to figure out all these newsteps as to what to do and the
(06:24):
hardest thing, you know, Igave her the phone number. I'm like,
Julie, you got to call thenumber. You got to call my
friends at the Alzheimer's Association and tryto get some advice and some help as
to how we're going to need tochange our lives to help Auntie stay safe
at home with this disease. Probablya lot of people listening right now who
might be, you know, thecaregiver in their family and as the caregiver
right it's very expensive to put someonein a home or to get somebody set
(06:47):
up with a proper allsaimer's care,you know about the professionals or dementia care.
It's very very expensive. A lotof families do it on their own,
and it's a lot to take on. But even just calling that free
number, that's a start to getsome help and some guidance. Absolutely,
and we have so many classes,programs. Our website is award winning.
(07:10):
It is have so many wonderful videos. One of the videos, or a
set of videos that I've used ishow to take the keys away from a
loved one who might be showing signsof Alzheimer's disease or been diagnosed. One
of the most difficult conversation is howto stop driving, because that's really taking
away your independence. And they showthree different scenarios and really help lead families
(07:32):
through that difficult conversation. And sadly, the older you get, the older
we all get. It will becomemore common in your life, whether in
your family or your friends' families,people that you know, people that you
work with, your neighbors. Youcan reach out. So much help and
information is available to you all forfree at All's dot org and through that
phone number, and that you're notalone and speaking of getting help, help
(07:57):
is on the way. Help isfinally happening. After all these years of
this Gosstarn disease robbing our loved onesso much, all these fundraisers fuel in
all that research finally paid off.There are new treatments and medications now available
for people with Alzheimer's and dementia.It's really exciting. I mean, I've
been dealing with Alzheimer's and dementia sincenineteen eighty and this is one of the
(08:22):
most exciting advancements that we're seeing inAlzheimer's since then, it is so exciting
and that is new treatments and they'retreatments that help slow the progression of the
disease. And how how does itwork. Well, if the name of
the drug is lakimbi, it isyou're treated with it for six months up
(08:43):
to six months. The way youget it is through your doctor, and
you have to have an early diagnosis. I think that's the biggest thing is
when you start seeing your loved onewith the signs or yourself with any signs,
go talk to your doctor. Becausethese drugs can own be administered in
the early phases of the disease.And hey, I mean if that can
(09:03):
give, like you said, slowthe progression, can offer some hope and
just give you more time. That'sthe thing what's so terrible about Alzheimer's and
dementia. It robs you of youknow, that person's memory, but also
of time. It robs you.You feel oftentimes you feel robbed of time,
and this could help slow that thewhole process absolutely, and you're exactly
right. It gives you more time, more time to be with your families,
(09:26):
more time to continue working. Somepeople aren't ready to stop working so
you can keep working, keeping withyour families, keep enjoying life in the
early phase of the disease. Thisdisease does not mean you need to hide.
This means you need to be outand about with all the people you
love, be social. And thedrugs can help you do that. And
it does make one feel a littlevindicated, right, all the years of
(09:48):
a fundraising and filling money into researchand just waiting, waiting, when you're
like, finally it happened. Soit makes me feel even more excited about
attending these fundraisers because like, Okay, now we're getting somewhere. Let's keep
it going until we find a curefor this thing. So I know the
walk has come up on Saturday,October twenty eighth, so we're going to
talk all about that, touch onany other upcoming fundraisers, but then we'll
(10:11):
dive into the walk and how wecan get people out there for the walk
to end Alzheimer's. Sure, wehave a big luncheon coming up on November
ninth, it's a Beverly Hills Hotel. Of course, we have our gala
on May ninth, we seem tolike nine, and then of course our
walk to end Alzheimer's, which isour biggest event. It's not just a
(10:31):
fundraiser. We call it our movingsupport group. It is full of individuals
that are there to either remember lovedones, bring their loved ones that are
living with the disease, are thereto get material and education on the disease.
It is a walk. It isagain a largest event across the country,
and LA has a big walk onOctober twenty eighth, and we are
(10:54):
all going to be there. Ericand I'll be walking on behalf of his
mom now my aunt Andy Janet.How early are we all heading down there
to downtown on the twenty eighth,eight am. We're going to get up
early and we're there to scare awayAlzheimer's. There you go. It is
of course Halloween weekend, so wedefinitely want to be there for the whole
family. So bring out your costumes, bring your puppies dressed up, come
(11:18):
out and help us end Alzheimer's disease. I always say that the walk,
if we can bring big crowds andraise our voices loud, that will get
the media to pay attention. Andif the media pays attention, our politicians
will pay attention. If they payattention, darn it. We're going to
get the funds to be able toend a disease. And if you're looking
for a team to join, youcan join Team Lynette. I'm a good
(11:41):
girlfriend. Lynette Romero now with theNBC Channel four on behalf of her mom,
sweet mom Viola, who passed justalmost two years ago. Lenna,
it's gotten very involved with the organization. Now she's going to help co m
see the big walk down Alzheimer's onthe twenty eighth, So I know she
would love for folks to join herteam. She just did a big post
about it on her social media.If you want to join Lynette's team for
(12:03):
the Walk to end Alzheimer's, wewill be out there and full force,
raising money, coming together and hopingto make a difference. So let's get
just signed up. Let's get yourregistered. It's free to register, by
the way, but we just wantto know that you're coming, so please
get signed up so we know toexpect you at alls dot org for the
twenty eighth in downtown. And again, you know she and her family,
they were the caregivers of her momliving with dementia for over ten years and
(12:28):
it was a really really tough roadtowards the end there. So for her,
it'll be probably lots of tears,you know, as I'm really good
at so it'll be some tears downthere, and I'm sure people will be,
you know, whether we're rocking aHalloween costume or rocking the color purple,
the color of Alzheimer's. We're welcometo represent on behalf of our loved
ones with signs and posters and carrythose two right, absolutely posters. I've
(12:50):
seen families do t shirts with theirloved one photo. I definitely carry a
photo of my grandmother. It isso meaningful and it really is about family
and again, whatever you're going throughwith your family, if there's a question
about Alzheimer's or dementia, a questionabout what to do if you have a
family member with that or showing symptomsor signs that they might have it.
(13:11):
The number to call for all theinfo that eight hundred two seven to two
thirty nine hundred number eight hundred thirtynine hundred, the Alzheimer's Association twenty four
seven helpline. That's also in prettymuch every language. Right you have someone
that could help in any language.It is two hundred languages and it's staffed
by master's level clinicians. You know, again, I've called this number,
(13:33):
and don't be scared to call it. It really is a help. The
many calls I've received are around aloved one trying to leave home, or
they keep talking about another loved one. I know, like my grandmother used
to talk about my grandfather, askwhere he is? Why isn't he here,
getting very irate because he wasn't there, and of course he had died
(13:54):
many years before, and you becomevery emotional. You try to reason someone
with Alzheimer's disease, and unfortunately,one of the things they lose with the
disease is the ability to reason,so it becomes very stressful for everyone.
I know. One of the adviceI was given with my grandmother was to
turn on her favorite music and haveher music playing, and sometimes that can
(14:16):
calm a loved one down. Sothey'll help with just giving tips, they'll
help with resources where to find thoseresources locally. You know, sometimes people
call looking for support groups. Thereare many, many reasons why people call,
but they're there to answer all thequestions. And again, it's eight
hundred two seven to two thirty ninehundred, eight hundred two three nine hundred
(14:39):
for the Alzheimer's Association. Help locally, help nationwide. Right This number is
a nationwide phone numbers, So ifyou have relatives back east or up in
northern California or any part of thecountry, this number will help anyone everywhere
with the resources in wherever they arein the country. Absolutely, And I
would like to add on at theLA Walk on October twenty eighth, all
of our resources will be there,all of our local resources will be there.
(15:01):
You'll have all the power of theAlzheimer's Association, all our tools and
resources at the walk, plus manyof our partners in the community that are
also bringing resources and support for families. So come out and learn about all
of the resources available to you.And you know, we talked about some
promising new treatments and medications to helpthose with Alzheimer's. And I know it's
(15:24):
been talked about before, and youcan google it. You know I've googled
it before. You know, Eric, my boyfriend, his mom has Alzheimer's.
A fear for a lot of people. Is it hereditary or what can
I do to try to not getAlzheimer's you know, touch on that because
you can read a lot about it. It's no guarantee, but there are
some things that we can try todo to maybe curb our chance of getting
(15:46):
Alzheimer's or dementia. Right, Definitely, there is a way you can limit
your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.Definitely. On our website at alz dot
org, you can look at allthe ways of keeping your brain healthy and
there are many ways. Sleep.Sleep is a huge, huge thing that
everybody needs to really pay attention togetting in a good amount of sleep.
(16:07):
You know, what is healthy foryour heart is healthy for your brain,
So eat well, exercise. Thisis all going to help your brain stay
healthy. There is still a lotof great research going on around you know,
healthy brain and how we can limitthat risk and even you know,
limit the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. And that research is happening here in
(16:29):
southern California. Yeah, and myGrammar Rose, God bless your Grammar Rose.
At the age of ninety six,lovely Grammar Rose is still pretty sharp
most of the time, and shedoes those crossword puzzles every single day.
That's going to be a good brainworkout right it is. I had a
researcher once tell me that a greatway to exercise the brain was to Monday,
(16:49):
Wednesday, Friday brush your teeth withyour left hand, and Tuesday,
Thursday, Saturday brush your teeth withthe right hand. And I guess Sunday
is up in the air. Ido the hang with the same with brushing
your hair. Just change things up. When we finish school, we don't
do as much reading and questioning aswe do leaving high school or college.
(17:10):
So now, as an adult,do something different to really exercise your brain.
Learn an instrument, learn how toplay an instrument, learn a new
language, keep your brain active,keep your brain challenge. I like that
what I feel like. You justgave us all an assignment with the toothbrushing.
Okay, so say it again,because this is what Meg Baron is
gonna leave us with well, andof course that we hope to see you
(17:32):
with the walk the walk to endAlls on Sday, October twenty eighth and
downtown La all the infloid Alls dotorg, Alz dot org. But the
assignment for our brain exercise, Meg, We're gonna do what with the tooth
brushing? I love this, Ohmy goodness. Change things up and change
the way you think. One wayis brush your teeth with your left hand
(17:53):
on Monday, Wednesday, Friday withyour right hand on Tuesday, Thursday,
Saturday, and Sunday is a freeday. To pick whatever hand you want
to use to brush your teeth.But just change things up and challenge your
brain. I'm so excited all ofa sudden. Thank you for that.
We've got some homework to do.People homework to do, and of course
they get a wealth of information.As Meg said on their website at All's
(18:15):
dot org, the phone umber tocall it anytime eight hundred and twenty seven
to thirty nine hundred with any questionsand to know you're not alone. Meg
Baron Alzheimer's Association, thank you foreverything that you do. And we'll see
at the walk on the twenty eighth. Thank you,
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