BrainStorm by UsAgainstAlzheimer's

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In part one of BrainStorm’s look at Medicare open enrollment, host Meryl Comer talks with Alison Schneider, Director of Market Access Policy and Strategy at ADVIHealth and a former public health policy professional at the CDC, about why open enrollment is far more than a paperwork exercise.

Through a rapid-fire game of “wise, risky, or incomplete,” Schneider takes apart common assumptions about Medicare including that last year’s plan will work just as well next year. She also explains why dental, vision, and gym perks shouldn’t drive your decision. The conversation covers what people often overlook until a health crisis hits, including the lack of an out-of-pocket cap in original Medicare and the network and prior authorization trade-offs in Medicare Advantage. Schneider offers extra guidance for families managing chronic conditions such as dementia, Parkinson’s, cancer, and diabetes. This is a must listen episode!

Coming up in part two: how Medicare drug coverage has changed in recent years.

Support for BrainStorm by UsAgainstAlzheimer’s comes from Lundbeck US. Lundbeck is dedicated to advancing brain health and transforming lives through focused innovation in neuroscience.

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Blood tests and brain scans can now show signs of Alzheimer's up to 20 years before symptoms appear. So what can we do with that head start? Meryl Comer talks with Dr. Frank Longo, Stanford neurologist and founder and board chairman of PharmatrophiX. Dr. Longo’s work shifts the question from how to clear amyloid that has built up in the brain to how to prevent pathological tau from building up and at the same time keeping the brain's communication network strong enough to withstand damage in the first place. They discuss an oral drug that targets a key receptor for brain connection integrity, its early trial results, and what it would take to make Alzheimer’s prevention affordable and reachable for everyone. This educational episode shows the progress made in Alzheimer’s research and provides hope for the future. You don’t want to miss this!

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Angela Williams spent decades building a career that culminated in leading United Way Worldwide — a global network serving 48 million people across 36 countries. What almost no one knew was that she was simultaneously managing the escalating care needs of her parents. When she stepped down, she skipped the usual "on to my next chapter" script and named what was actually happening: caregiving and grief. In this episode of BrainStorm, host Meryl Comer, talks with Ms. Williams talks about why she chose candor over privacy, what the flood of responses revealed about how much caregiving stays hidden at work, and what employers, insurers, clinicians, and policymakers each owe the people holding these systems together at their own expense. This is a must listen episode!

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Caregivers of people with dementia know the toll of repetitive, anxiety-driven phone calls — sometimes dozens or even a hundred a day. On this episode of BrainStorm, host Meryl Comer talks with Kirstin Thomas, co-founder of KindredMind, about the personal crisis and pivotal moment that led her to build a voice-companion app that answers those calls in the caregiver's own cloned voice. They dig into dementia separation anxiety, validation therapy, privacy safeguards, and why Thomas insists the technology is meant to be a bridge for caregivers — never a replacement. You don’t want to miss this informative episode of linking caregiving and technology. 

Support for BrainStorm by UsAgainstAlzheimer’s comes from Genentech. Genentech is committed to pushing the boundaries of scientific discovery in Alzheimer's disease by researching and developing treatments to preserve what makes us who we are.

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Your mouth may be doing more than you think — it could be a gateway to your brain. In this episode of BrainStorm, host Meryl Comer sits down with Dr. Flavio Rasetto, a Washington DC-based prosthodontist and University of Maryland School of Dentistry faculty member, to explore the emerging science linking oral inflammation to Alzheimer's disease and cognitive decline. Dr. Rasetto breaks down how bacteria like Porphyromonas gingivalis can travel from the gums into the bloodstream and brain, why bleeding gums and bad breath are early warning signs worth taking seriously, and how caregivers can manage oral hygiene for loved ones living with Alzheimer's. The conversation also touches on advances in modern dentistry, barriers to dental care access, and the everyday habits that protect both your smile and your mind.

Support for BrainStorm by UsAgainstAlzheimer’s comes from Genentech. Genentech is committed to pushing the boundaries of scientific discovery in Alzheimer's disease by researching and developing treatments to preserve what makes us who we are.

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In this episode of BrainStorm, host Meryl Comer leads part 2 in a series on UsAgainstAlzheimer's newly released Brain Health Journey resources. The discussion with Dr. Diana Summanwar, a practicing family physician and implementation scientist, and Chris Miller, project manager for UsAgainstAlzheimer's Brain Health Journey, centers on the challenges facing primary care physicians in detecting and diagnosing Alzheimer's disease early. 

Chris Miller describes the core problem: there is no clear pathway for patients or care partners to navigate brain health concerns, and primary care physicians are often under-resourced to detect mild cognitive impairment, while specialists face overwhelming wait times of up to a year. Dr. Summanwar speaks to the realities of physician burnout and the growing demands placed on primary care. The conversation explores how a new suite of tools aims to bridge the gap between patient concern and accurate Alzheimer's diagnosis.

The episode touches on practical tips for families preparing for a doctor's appointment and the complexity of mixed dementias. This episode is for anyone concerned about their brain health, or the brain health of a loved on. 

Brain Health Journey resources are available at mybrainguide.org/journey.

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Endocrinologist and longevity expert Dr. Florence Comite joins Meryl Comer to challenge conventional wisdom about aging, hormones, and brain health. Drawing on decades of clinical experience and her new book Invincible, Dr. Comite explains why the fear around hormone therapy is based on outdated, flawed research. She believes testosterone, progesterone, quality sleep, and resistance training can meaningfully improve brain function at any age, even into your 90s. Dr. Comite also stresses that "normal range" lab results can be misleading, and that individualized, detail-oriented care outperforms one-size-fits-all evidence-based medicine. You don’t want to miss this candid, detail-driven conversation about taking control of your own aging process.

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What if the way we think about aging and dementia is fundamentally wrong? Dr. Florence Comite, precision medicine pioneer and author of Invincible: Defy Your Genetic Destiny to Live Better Longer, joins host Meryl Comer to make the case that cognitive decline is not inevitable. From the difference between biological and chronological age, to the five key biomarkers everyone should know, Dr. Comite offers a science-backed roadmap for protecting your brain and body decades before crisis hits. They discuss the role of hormones in cognitive function, and why dementia risk must be addressed in midlife. Dr. Comite advocates for precision medicine, wearable technology, and personalized lifestyle interventions as tools to delay the point where aging becomes disease. If dementia or cognitive decline is a concern, this conversation is one you can't afford to miss.

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In part two of Meryl Comer’s conversation with Dr. Nathaniel Chin — geriatrician, researcher, and author of When Memory Fades — they explore the practical and emotional realities of life after an Alzheimer's diagnosis. Drawing on both his clinical expertise and personal experience of caring for his father, Dr. Chin addresses the often-overlooked needs of care partners, the importance of acting quickly on legal and financial planning after diagnosis, and why lifestyle interventions matter even before seeing a specialist. The conversation also touches on the complexity of mixed dementia diagnoses, the stigma patients face, behavioral symptoms that families should anticipate, and how pre-existing relationship dynamics don't disappear; they intensify. Dr. Chin closes with an overview of the Clarity study, a national research initiative seeking participants to better understand multiple brain disease processes simultaneously. You won’t want to miss this informative and personal interview!

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What if knowing sooner could change everything? In this episode of BrainStorm, host Meryl Comer sits down with Dr. Nathaniel Chin — geriatrician, Alzheimer's researcher, and author of When Memory Fades: What to Expect at Every Stage, from Early Signs to Full Support for Alzheimer's and Dementia, to explore why early diagnosis of Alzheimer's and dementia is more empowering than it is frightening.

Dr. Chin opens up about the fear, stigma, and denial that keep patients and families from seeking answers, and why those hesitations have a real cost. Drawing on his own experience watching his father's cognitive decline, he walks through the subtle early signs of memory change, the difference between normal aging and something more serious, and how new biomarker tests are reshaping the diagnostic conversation.

From navigating family denial to balancing hope, Dr. Chin offers a rare combination of clinical expertise and deeply personal insight of the journey. He reminds us that behind every diagnosis is a family with their thoughts on what matters most. 

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