Common perceptions of Alzheimer’s and dementia tend to focus on memory loss, and many families can be caught off guard by symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions. Research shows these more-severe symptoms can affect sleep, family life, and a sense of safety for many people living with dementia and their caregivers. Oftentimes, these symptoms can become severe enough that families decide they can no longer care for their loved one at home.

Our February 2021 Alzheimer’s Talks addresses these symptoms and ways to cope with them. Host Meryl Comer talks with geriatric psychiatrist George Grossberg, MD, of St. Louis University School of Medicine; clinical psychologist Debra Cherry, PhD, of Alzheimer’s Los Angeles; and caregiver Steve Chambers.

At the new year, many of us make resolutions around health and diet. For this January BrainStorm, we discussed how food acts as fuel for your brain, the importance of healthy “brain fuel,” and why eating healthy every day is perhaps harder than it should be.

In his latest book, Food Fix, Dr. Hyman makes the case that our food and agriculture policies are driving obesity and food-related chronic diseases, including Alzheimer’s and related dementias. “After decades of caring for patients with chronic illnesses predominantly caused by food, I realized I couldn’t cure diabetes or cancer or heart disease or Alzheimer’s in my office—that it was cured on the farm and in the kitchen, in restaurants and grocery stores,” he said.

"In 10 years, 83 million Americans will have three or four chronic diseases, compared to 30 million in 2015," he continued. "Most of them will be the disease cost-drivers: cholesterol, blood pressure, stroke, cancer, osteoarthritis, diabetes. Most of those are also independent risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease. Not every case of Alzheimer’s or heart disease is food-related, but the majority of these chronic illnesses are commonly linked by mechanisms that have to do with what we’re eating. About 60 percent of our calories is processed calories. Most of that is starch, sugar, flour, and it’s driving this metabolic dysfunction that’s resulting in 88 percent of Americans being metabolically unhealthy.”

In 2008, Dr. Hyman wrote The Ultra-Mind Solution: Fix Your Broken Brain by Healing Your Body First - The Simplest Way to Defeat Depression, Overcome Anxiety, and Sharpen Your Mind. Comer observed, “You were ahead of your time.”

“I was treating people with physical illnesses, and their brains would get better," he said. "I’d treat them for asthma or acne or digestive issues, and their depression or anxiety would go away. I would optimize their diabetes, and their memory would improve. I wrote the book to explain how people can optimize their brains by dealing with the fundamental lifestyle factors that are really underlying most of our brain dysfunction. We now know that depression is an inflammatory disease of the brain. So is autism, ADD, and Alzheimer’s. The question is, what’s causing the inflammation? We eat an inflammatory diet—that would be the number-one cause.”

More studies are proving a link between cognitive health and lifestyle choices, but they include exercise, social interaction and diet. Comer asked, "Are these weighted equally?"

Support the show (https://www.usagainstalzheimers.org)

At the new year, many of us make resolutions around health and diet. For this January BrainStorm, we discussed how food acts as fuel for your brain, the importance of healthy “brain fuel,” and why eating healthy every day is perhaps harder than it should be.

In his latest book, Food Fix, Dr. Hyman makes the case that our food and agriculture policies are driving obesity and food-related chronic diseases, including Alzheimer’s and related dementias. “After decades of caring for patients with chronic illnesses predominantly caused by food, I realized I couldn’t cure diabetes or cancer or heart disease or Alzheimer’s in my office—that it was cured on the farm and in the kitchen, in restaurants and grocery stores,” he said.

"In 10 years, 83 million Americans will have three or four chronic diseases, compared to 30 million in 2015," he continued. "Most of them will be the disease cost-drivers: cholesterol, blood pressure, stroke, cancer, osteoarthritis, diabetes. Most of those are also independent risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease. Not every case of Alzheimer’s or heart disease is food-related, but the majority of these chronic illnesses are commonly linked by mechanisms that have to do with what we’re eating. About 60 percent of our calories is processed calories. Most of that is starch, sugar, flour, and it’s driving this metabolic dysfunction that’s resulting in 88 percent of Americans being metabolically unhealthy.”

In 2008, Dr. Hyman wrote The Ultra-Mind Solution: Fix Your Broken Brain by Healing Your Body First - The Simplest Way to Defeat Depression, Overcome Anxiety, and Sharpen Your Mind. Comer observed, “You were ahead of your time.”

“I was treating people with physical illnesses, and their brains would get better," he said. "I’d treat them for asthma or acne or digestive issues, and their depression or anxiety would go away. I would optimize their diabetes, and their memory would improve. I wrote the book to explain how people can optimize their brains by dealing with the fundamental lifestyle factors that are really underlying most of our brain dysfunction. We now know that depression is an inflammatory disease of the brain. So is autism, ADD, and Alzheimer’s. The question is, what’s causing the inflammation? We eat an inflammatory diet—that would be the number-one cause.”

More studies are proving a link between cognitive health and lifestyle choices, but they include exercise, social interaction and diet. Comer asked, "Are these weighted equally?"

Support the show (https://www.usagainstalzheimers.org)

In this Alzheimer's Talk, we explore the role of faith and spiritual life for those living with dementia and family caregivers. We also examine the role of churches, synagogues and other faith communities in ministering to and educating members about dementia and brain health, and in creating dementia-friendly faith communities. 

UsAgainstAlzheimer’s A-LIST research has found that the majority of people living with dementia and caregivers rely on religious faith to help them cope.

Joining host Meryl Comer are Dr. Pernessa Seele, founder of The Balm In Gilead, which empowers faith communities to deliver programs eliminating health disparities in brain health and other areas; Rabbi Israel de la Piedra, director of spiritual care at Miami Jewish Health Systems; former caregiver, retired Bishop Kenneth Carder, who advises the United Methodist Church on dementia; and Virginia Biggar, who leads UsAgainstAlzheimer's faith community outreach. We’ll also listen in on a conversation with The Rev. Tracey Lind, a retired Episcopal priest living with frontotemporal dementia; journalist and UsAgainstAlzheimer’s Board member Greg O’Brien, living with early onset Alzheimer’s; and caregiver-advocate Daisy Duarte, who has a strong genetic risk for Alzheimer’s.

In this Alzheimer's Talk, we explore the role of faith and spiritual life for those living with dementia and family caregivers. We also examine the role of churches, synagogues and other faith communities in ministering to and educating members about dementia and brain health, and in creating dementia-friendly faith communities. 

UsAgainstAlzheimer’s A-LIST research has found that the majority of people living with dementia and caregivers rely on religious faith to help them cope.

Joining host Meryl Comer are Dr. Pernessa Seele, founder of The Balm In Gilead, which empowers faith communities to deliver programs eliminating health disparities in brain health and other areas; Rabbi Israel de la Piedra, director of spiritual care at Miami Jewish Health Systems; former caregiver, retired Bishop Kenneth Carder, who advises the United Methodist Church on dementia; and Virginia Biggar, who leads UsAgainstAlzheimer's faith community outreach. We’ll also listen in on a conversation with The Rev. Tracey Lind, a retired Episcopal priest living with frontotemporal dementia; journalist and UsAgainstAlzheimer’s Board member Greg O’Brien, living with early onset Alzheimer’s; and caregiver-advocate Daisy Duarte, who has a strong genetic risk for Alzheimer’s.

Support the show (https://www.usagainstalzheimers.org)

COVID-19 has heavily impacted communities of color, making health inequities even worse. 

This BrainStorm webcast is the second in a series on health equity challenges created by COVID-19 in the dementia community and beyond. Our host, Meryl Comer, talks with an expert panel of research organizations about what they are doing to prioritize health equity in their COVID-19 research programs and why diversity matters in brain health research. We also share our latest A-LIST survey results on the pandemic's effects on the Alzheimer's community. 

Our guests include Gerren Wilson of Genentech; Phyllis Ferrell of Eli Lilly; Dr. Jaime Perales of Kansas University’s Alzheimer’s Disease Center; Kevin Kimble of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference; and Jason Resendez of our LatinosAgainstAlzheimer’s Coalition. We also talk one-on-one with caregiver-advocate Daisy Duarte and former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher.

COVID-19 has heavily impacted communities of color, making health inequities even worse. 

This BrainStorm webcast is the second in a series on health equity challenges created by COVID-19 in the dementia community and beyond. Our host, Meryl Comer, talks with an expert panel of research organizations about what they are doing to prioritize health equity in their COVID-19 research programs and why diversity matters in brain health research. We also share our latest A-LIST survey results on the pandemic's effects on the Alzheimer's community. 

Our guests include Gerren Wilson of Genentech; Phyllis Ferrell of Eli Lilly; Dr. Jaime Perales of Kansas University’s Alzheimer’s Disease Center; Kevin Kimble of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference; and Jason Resendez of our LatinosAgainstAlzheimer’s Coalition. We also talk one-on-one with caregiver-advocate Daisy Duarte and former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher.

COVID-19 is affecting all communities but is taking a particularly heavy toll among communities of color, just like Alzheimer's does.    

This Alzheimer's Talks kicks off a two-part series exploring the health equity challenges presented by COVID-19 in the dementia community and beyond. We invited an expert panel to discuss the virus’ effects on family caregivers of color and what social service providers and health systems are doing to support seniors in this challenging time. We also shared a few highlights from our latest A-LIST survey results on the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on the Alzheimer's community. 

Our panel included mental health researcher Iris Aguilar, MSPA, of the University of Southern California’s Roybal Institute on Aging; research nurse and educator Angela Allen, PhD, of Banner Health and Arizona State University, a former board member of the National Black Nurses Association; and medical director Lauren Barial, MD, of naviHealth. Host Meryl Comer also spoke one-on-one with caregiver-advocate and author Loretta Veney and former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher.

Support for the COVID Insight Series and this Alzheimer's Talks is provided by educational grants from the Eisai USA Foundation, naviHealth and Biogen. 

Note: Our apologies for the audio issues upfront -- its clears up after a few seconds.

So much in our lives is uncertain now: the way we work, shop, interact, and try to stay healthy. For Americans of all ages, brain health should be a priority now, just as in normal times.

This marks our first BrainStorm webcast! BrainStorm is a new UsAgainstAlzheimer’s series that features conversations with brain health experts on the science of keeping your brain healthy, early detection and intervention in Alzheimer’s, and working toward brain health equity regardless of sex, race or ethnicity. 

In this inaugural episode, University of Texas researcher Dr. Sandra Chapman talks with host Meryl Comer about the impact of stress and anxiety, the science of cognitive training, and the promising future of taking charge of your brain.

Watch for BrainStorm every other month and, in the alternating months, Alzheimer’s Talks, which features discussions of groundbreaking research and its importance to those living with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers.

Support the show (https://www.usagainstalzheimers.org)

While caring for someone with Alzheimer’s is challenging at any time, the COVID-19 pandemic and stay-at-home orders may make those challenges exponentially greater.

In this Alzheimer’s Talks, we share findings from two recent survey of our A-LIST community, made up of Alzheimer’s caregivers and those at increased Alzheimer’s risk. We asked how they are coping during the COVID-19 pandemic and about their stress levels and concerns during this time. 

Our host Meryl Comer talks with two mental health experts about the findings. They shared coping suggestions for those with a loved one with Alzheimer's at home or in a nursing facility in this very difficult time. Joining Meryl is Dr. Dale Atkins, an author, psychologist and regular guest on NBC's Today Show. Also joining us is Dr. Barry Jacobs, an author, clinical psychologist and healthcare consultant who writes a caregiving blog for AARP.

This Alzheimer’s Talk is generously supported by the Eisai USA Foundation.