I asked Ayesha and Dean a hypothetical question: "If Warrant Buffet gave you $1 billion to solve problems related to Alzheimer's and dementia, how would you invest the money?" (The only restriction in our scenario was that the money must be used for care, and not for research).

Their solution would transcend Alzheimer's, and transform communities. Are you watching, Mr. Buffet?

Katherine Kennedy talks about the challenges faced by care professionals, and how The Memory Kit can help them better understand the needs and preferences of the people in their care. 

Katherine is the former memory care manager at the Summer House at Villa Gardens in Pasadena, California.  She holds a M.S. degree from the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, and is pursuing her PhD in Social Gerontology at Miami University.

In the U.S. there are over 15 million family members caring for loved ones with Alzheimer's or dementia. They are often financially, emotionally and physically stressed to the breaking point, and receive little or no support from other family members or friends. I recently met with Susan Galeas, former CEO of Alzheimer's Greater Los Angeles and asked her to list the top three needs that might be on a caregiver's wishlist. Her response was sobering.

If you know someone one is a caregiver you should assume they could use your support, but probably won't ask for it. Take the initiative and offer to help, and don't take no for an answer.

If someone you love has Alzheimer's, grief is a part of your life. In this video Rebecca Axline, Supervisory Clinical Social Worker at Houston Methodist Neurological Institute / The Nantz National Alzheimer Center speaks candidly and compassionately about coping with grief by acknowledging it and honoring it. 

I lost my mother to Alzheimer's in 2015. Looking back on that long and painful journey, which many call "the long goodbye", I regret that we didn't make better decisions at the earliest stages. Fear, unnecessary shame and stigma, and lack of information all contributed to a process that - above all else - deprived mom of a voice in her care as the disease progressed.

How did we make the mistakes we did in an age where any information we needed resided in the cell phones in our pockets, instantly accessible anywhere, anytime? I believe the answer is that the way we talk about the disease still perpetuates every negative notion we have about it. To put a twist on the famous Steve Jobs quote, we need to "talk differently".

To do our part, we've invited a panel of industry leaders and experts to share their advice, insight and encouragement on virtually every aspect of the disease.  Together, we're Turning on The Dialogue about Alzheimer's and dementia.

Our goals are straight forward and bold: We hope to inspire earlier detection and diagnosis, better brain (and body) health, better quality of life, better quality of care, and a wholesale change in the way people with the disease think about themselves. 

Jeff

Dean and Ayesha talk to us about the importance of restorative sleep, one of our best tools for preventing Alzheimer's and dementia. It is also essential to maintaining our cognitive health as we age.  

Dr. Ayesha and Dr. Dean Sherzai recently met with us to talk about Alzheimer's and dementia. They generously shared their insights on a wide range of topics including:

• The importance of early diagnosis 
• Brain-healthy living
• Overcoming fear and stigma about the disease
• Their long-term vision for Alzheimer's care​ - and beyond.

In this video Dean and Ayesha talk about the many benefits of getting diagnosed as early as possible. Thank you, Team Sherzai!