Brain Talk | Being Patient for Alzheimer's Patients and Caregivers

Being Patient speaks with Chuck McClatchey about the keys for adapting to a diagnosis of Alzheimer's and related dementias, his early symptoms of the disease, and how he has found hope and inspiration as a dementia advocate.   We rely on donations to bring you the latest research on dementia and brain health and to support our amazing team of independent journalists. Please consider dona...

Neuroscientist Mark Mattson of Johns Hopkins University shares his insights on what we know and don’t know about intermittent fasting’s effects for our brain health.

Being Patient speaks with Dave Iverson, author of the memoir Winter Stars: An Elderly Mother, an Aging Son, and Life’s Final Journey (March 2022), about his experience caring for his mother Adelaide Iverson during her journey with dementia.  On Dave's book: https://daveiversonauthor.com/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------...

A new documentary The Gerda That Remains chronicles the life of Gerda Saunders, who was diagnosed with cerebral microvascular disease, a precursor of vascular dementia, at the age of 61 in 2011. Being Patient catches up with her and her husband Peter Saunders nearly three years since we first spoke with Gerda.   Read more: https://www.beingpatient.com/gerda-saunders-peter-dementia/ 

Patti LaFleur sees her relationship with her mother Linda LaTurner as a partnership. LaFleur cares for her mother full-time, and she describes LaTurner as someone who is always giving back, even if it’s with something as simple as a smile. For LaFleur, 35, looking after her mother is a chance to return the unwavering love and care that LaTurner, 73, gave in raising her.  In Being Patient’s Li...

Steph Jagger, author of Everything Left to Remember: My Mother, Our Memories, and a Journey Through the Rocky Mountains (April 2022), discusses her family’s experience with her mother Sheila Jagger’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis in 2015. Reflecting on her road trip with Sheila 11 months after the diagnosis, Steph shares their adventure across three national parks and her guidance on traveling alongside a...

Dennis speaks about his experience as a caregiver for his late wife Nancy, who was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's in 2015, and his advocacy work both during and after his caregiving journey. Inspired to create safe and enjoyable dining experiences for people impacted by dementia, Dennis established the Central Florida Dementia-friendly Dining initiative. As the founder of Nana’s Books Foun...

Keith Moreland, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and normal pressure hydrocephalus at the age of 57, speaks about looking beyond the shock and sorrow of his diagnoses, and making the best of the time that remains.

Concetta Tomaino, a pioneer in the field of music therapy, speaks about the science behind music therapy for dementia and other neurological conditions. Tomaino, executive director of the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function (IMNF), collaborated with the late neurologist Oliver Sacks in cofounding the nonprofit organization, and she shares her expert advice on effective music therapy for pe...

Being Patient speaks with Benjamin Bikman, professor of cell biology and physiology at Brigham Young University, about the complex processes of our metabolism, and how metabolic health plays a role in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and our brain health. Stay connected on social media:  To catch our Brain Talks live, join our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/beingpatient .....

Karl Herrup, author of How Not to Study a Disease: The Story of Alzheimer’s (2021) speaks about how the field of Alzheimer’s went down the wrong path in the search for a cure, the consequences of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of Aduhelm, and his vision for a new path in studying Alzheimer’s, aging and dementia.   We rely on donations to bring you the latest research o...

Doreen Monks, who was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's at the age of 63 in 2016, speaks about her experience living with the disease and what it means to live a fulfilling — albeit different — life after a diagnosis.  We rely on donations to bring you the latest research on dementia and brain health and to support our amazing team of independent journalists. Please consider donating to...

The years Rochelle Long has spent caring for her mother and aunt with Alzheimer’s have turned her into an advocate for Paid Family Leave. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Stay connected on social media:  To catch our Brain Talks live, join our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/beingpatient ...   To...

In our LiveTalk series, Being Patient spoke with Dr. E. Wesley Ely, professor of medicine and critical care at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, about how many patients who survive a stay at the intensive care unit go on to experience symptoms of dementia, mental health issues and physical ailments. Ely’s new book Every Deep-Drawn Breath tells their stories, and his own mission to reclaim the...

In our LiveTalk series, Being Patient spoke with childhood friends Steve Ecclesine and Greg O’Brien about the filmmaking process behind the new documentary Have You Heard About Greg? and O’Brien’s life following his Alzheimer’s diagnosis in 2009.   To watch the documentary's trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9GIa...   For more about the documentary: https://www.hyhag.com/

Neurologist Lenora Higginbotham in Atlanta shares how her grandmother’s Parkinson’s journey inspired her present-day career in neurology. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Stay connected on social media:  To catch our Brain Talks live, join our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/beingpatient ...   To...

Dementia research specialist Berta Carbajal shares her journey, from the most difficult day of her life to her career of building relationships in the Latino community.   Read on: https://www.beingpatient.com/berta-carbajal-community-health-worker-asu/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stay connected on social...

Being Patient speaks with Scott Rose about his experience caring for his late wife Maureen Patrick-Rose, who was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia and appendiceal cancer. Rose, author of "We Danced: Our Story of Love and Dementia," shares the couple’s journey of fellowship and enduring love in the face of terminal illness.   We rely on donations to bring you the latest research on dement...

Being Patient spoke with a panel of speakers about the conscious and unconscious bias in the healthcare system, as well as solutions at the grassroots level for addressing the challenges of accessing care.  This panel discussion is produced by Being Patient with support provided by Eisai.  Speakers: Arthena Caston: member of the Alzheimer’s Association National Board of Directors who is...

Being Patient spoke with Patti Davis, daughter of the former U.S. President Ronald Reagan and author of Floating in the Deep End: How Caregivers Can See Beyond Alzheimer's, about the memories she shared with her father and how she grew as person throughout his decade-long journey with Alzheimer's.   We rely on donations to bring you the latest research on dementia and brain health and to...

Being Patient speaks with Anthony Copeland-Parker, author of Running All Over the World: Our Race Against Early-Onset Alzheimer’s, about him and his partner Catherine Elizabeth Popp's nomadic lifestyle, their experience of traveling to 82 countries ever since their retirement and the couple’s pursuit of fulfilling their dreams in the face of Alzheimer’s.  For more about the couple's story: ht...

Being Patient speaks with Cindy Weinstein and Bruce Miller, authors of Finding the Right Words: A Story of Literature, Grief and the Brain, about the Alzheimer's diagnosis of Weinstein’s father, and how writing, literature and neurology can enrich our understanding of dementia.  To learn more about the book by Weinstein, professor of English at the California Institute of Technology, and Mill...

Being Patient speaks with Dr. Daniel Potts, neurologist at the Tuscaloosa Veterans Affairs Medical Center, about the artistic talents of his late father, who found watercolor painting as a way to express early memories and life experiences after an Alzheimer's diagnosis.   For more information on the nonprofit organization Cognitive Dynamics, visit its website: https://www.cognitivedynam...

Being Patient speaks with talk show host Leeza Gibbons about her family's journey with Alzheimer's, and her mission to support caregivers through Leeza's Care Connection, a signature program of the Leeza Gibbons Memory Foundation.

Dr. Michael Geschwind, professor of neurology at the University of California San Francisco Memory and Aging Center, speaks about the symptoms, diagnoses and treatments of rapidly progressive dementias.