The Value of Diagnosing Alzheimer’s Early

>> THE EARLY STAGES OF ALZHEIMER'S CAN LOOK DIFFERENT FOR EACH PATIENT. >> THE IMPORTANCE OF AN EARLY DIAGNOSIS AND CHANGING PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF THE DISEASE IS THE GOAL OF A NEW JOINING US NOW TO TELL US MORE IS CEO OF HEALTHY WOMEN. BETH AND KERRY DENNIS, WHO HAS EARLY STAGES OF THE DISEASE. WELCOME TO THE SHOW. AND THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE TODAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US. CAN YOU FIRST TELL US WHAT IS THIS CAMPAIGN AND WHY IT IS IMPORTANT? >> THIS IS A NATIONAL CAMPAIGN CALLED THIS IS ALL SAND. OUR GOAL HERE IS TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT THE EARLY STAGES OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE. THIS CAMPAIGN IS POWERED BY HELPING WOMEN AND OUR GOAL IS TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT EARLY ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE IS DIFFERENT. THEN LATER, STAGE, ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE FOR MANY OF US. WE PICTURE ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE AS AN OLDER PERSON'S DISEASE. ONE, IN FACT, THERE ARE MANY YOUNGER PEOPLE THAT MAY BE LIVING WITH ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE BUT MAY NOT BE SHOWING THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS EARLIER THAT YOU'RE DIAGNOSED, THE MORE OPTIONS THAT YOU HAVE AS FAR AS TREATMENT PLANNING YOUR LIFE, PUTTING TOGETHER YOUR SUPPORT TEAM AND HAVING A VOICE IN YOUR TREATMENT CARE PLAN. WHAT ARE SOME OF THOSE KEY SYMPTOMS THAT WOULD LET SOMEONE KNOW THAT THEY MIGHT MIGHT BE SHOWING THE BEGINNING SIGNS OF THE DISEASE. YEAH, I'D LOVE TO SHARE MY STORY. FOR ME. >> SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I NOTICED I ATTRIBUTED TO NORMAL AGING, ESPECIALLY AT HOME. I WALK INTO A ROOM. YOU CAN'T REMEMBER WHY YOU'RE THERE. YOU LOSE YOUR KEYS TO MISPLACE YOUR PHONE, BUT FOR ME AT WORK IS WHERE THE SYMPTOMS BECAME MUCH MORE NOTICEABLE. SO I WORKED IN THE FINANCIAL SERVICES LET A LARGE DEPARTMENT OF LEADERS AND ASSOCIATES AND I STARTED NOTICING THAT. THINGS BECAME ARE BECOMING MUCH HARDER, MUCH MORE DIFFICULT AND THE THE HARD BECAME HARDER. THE ALARMING PART WAS THE EASY BECAME HARDER. AND SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS MANAGING MY CALENDAR OR WRITING AN E-MAIL EMAILS BECAME MY NEMESIS. YOU KNOW, YOU'RE RIGHT. AND A TYPICAL WEEK, I WOULD PROBABLY WRITE 100 EMAILS AND IN 3 MINUTES ANY MAIL WOULD BE OUT AND I WOULD SIT AND TRY TO GET THE WORDS OUT OF MY HEAD AND CONNECT THE DOTS TO MAKE AN E-MAIL AND IT WOULD TAKE. 20 MINUTES. AND SO IT WAS IT WAS WHEN THE EASY THINGS WE'RE JUST BECOMING TOO DIFFICULT TO DO THAT. I REALLY KNEW THAT IT WASN'T JUST NORMAL AGING. >> AND I APPLAUD THE FACT THAT YOU ACTUALLY WENT AND RECOGNIZE SYMPTOMS AND YOU TOOK STEPS TO GET TREATMENT WHERE I THINK A LOT OF OLDER ADULTS ARE AFRAID TO FIND OUT WHAT'S GOING ON. VERY MUCH SO. IT IS. >> IT I WILL. IT IS A SCARY DIAGNOSIS. IS SCARY. IF I COULD SAY, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS THAT I HAVE LEARNED SINCE GETTING MY DIAGNOSIS IS IT GAVE ME THE OPPORTUNITY AND TO LIVE MY LIFE INTENTIONALLY. I WAKE UP EVERY DAY AND IT IS A BEAUTIFUL DAY AND I AM MAKING MEMORIES FOR AS LONG AS I CAN. AND I'M LIVING A LIFE OF PURPOSE. AND THAT IS A GIFT. I AM TAKING ADVANTAGE OF TREATMENTS. I AM WORKING WITH A CARE TEAM THAT SUPPORTS ME. I'M IN A SUPPORT GROUP WITH FRIENDS JUST LIKE ME. AND THERE IS. THERE IS IT'S. YOU KNOW, IT'S IT'S A SCARY DIAGNOSIS, BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF THE RIGHT REASONS. FORGETTING A DIAGNOSIS. AND YOU KNOW, IT'S IT'S A PERSONAL DECISION. BUT WHEN YOU MAKE THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE US, JOY, ON THE OTHER SIDE. >> THAT COULD YOU TELL OUR VIEWERS WHERE THEY CAN GO TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS CAMPAIGN? >> SURE. WE INVITE YOUR VIEWERS TO VISIT. THIS IS ALL AILS THE DOT COM FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO HEAR OTHER PEOPLE THAT ARE SHARING THEIR STORIES OF LIVING WELL WITH EARLY-STAGE ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY AND TELLING US ABOUT THIS REALLY IMPORTANT CAMPAIGN. WE APPRECIATE IT SO