Alzheimer's: Expert Discussions & Progress in Research, There is Hope

Are you ready to unravel the labyrinth of Alzheimer's and dementia? Join us for a transformative conversation with Beth Sulkowski, an expert from the Alzheimer's Association South Carolina chapter. With an intricate understanding of Alzheimer’s, Beth shares the groundbreaking progress in research, including the FDA's approval of the first Alzheimer's treatments. We celebrate these milestones and stress the importance of care and support for those living with the condition, underlining the profound role of organizations like the Alzheimer's Association.

We journey into the crucial realm of early diagnosis, unmasking telltale signs of Alzheimer's and related conditions. From social withdrawal to seemingly trivial challenges like misplacing everyday objects, Beth helps us understand the subtle pointers to look out for. We delve into the workings of Leqembi, an innovative treatment for mild cognitive impairment, and other potential contributors to cognitive decline. Remember, a timely visit to the doctor can rule out other health issues and pave the way for targeted treatment strategies.

Our journey culminates with a heartfelt tribute to caregivers, the unsung heroes providing Alzheimer's support. We learn about the relentless work of the Alzheimer's Association in propelling research, promoting brain health, and offering unparalleled support. Beth explains how an interplay of volunteerism, donations, and awareness fuels the fight against Alzheimer's. So, switch on your curiosity and join us as we traverse the landscape of Alzheimer's and dementia with insightful discussions and expert perspectives.

SeniorLivingGuide.com Podcast sponsored by Parrish Healthcare/Parrish Medical Center

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SPEAKER_00 0:01

Senior Living Guide.com Podcast discusses topics which are relevant to the everyday lives of seniors and their caregivers. We are joined by experts who share their knowledge on a variety of issues. Senior Living Guide.com Podcast offers solutions and resources to create the best quality of life as we age. And now, let's welcome your host, Darlene Mahoney.

SPEAKER_04 0:27

Thank you for joining us on this episode of Senior Living Guide.com Podcast. We want to thank our listeners who have been the key to our success as we enter our third season of Senior and Caregiver Resource Podcast. Our podcast can be listened to and followed most anywhere you enjoy music or podcasts such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and even Alexa, and many more. And please don't keep our podcast all to yourself. Share with a senior or caregiver who you think will benefit from the support that we provide. I am your host, Darlene Mahoney. And I am excited to share the news that seniorlivingguide.com provides a one-stop job to finding senior housing, including independent and active seniors, a new home while providing an excellent resource to assisted living, skilled nursing, memory care, or even home health and caregiving services solutions. And one more easy to navigate website. So visit the senior living guy.com today. And I would also like to thank our podcast sponsors, Parish Healthcare and Parish Medical Center. At Parish, they offer the Parish Senior Consultation Center and Parish Senior Solutions where each of our patients' evaluation and follow-up care will be personalized to meet the needs of the individual and their families.

SPEAKER_02 1:58

At Parish Healthcare, we believe in our community. We believe in keeping our community safe. We believe in the art of healing. We believe in healing patients, healing families, healing communities. We believe in the best and brightest working together for the common good. At Parish Healthcare, our team focuses on you as an individual because every life is a work of art. To us, Parish Healthcare, where the art of healing comes to life. Visit Parish Healthcare.com slash healthaware for a free health risk assessment.

SPEAKER_04 2:27

Thank you for joining us on this podcast episode. As we are joined by Beth, she is joining us from Greenville area of South Carolina, which is actually one of my favorite areas. I live there for a short period of time and it is gorgeous. But she is part of the staff team as the VP of communications of the Alzheimer's Association, South Carolina chapter. And she has been there for 17 years. I want to thank you so much for joining us on this podcast, Beth. Absolutely. Yeah, thank you. You know, you and I have talked a couple of times and we've really connected. And one of the things that we kind of chatted about a little bit is I think people that get into, you know, some of what you're doing and even some of what really pushed me to do this podcast is the passion that we've had in our own private lives for seniors, specifically seniors that may be struggling with cognitive issues, dementia, and Alzheimer's. Is that something, you know, just talking with you that that's kind of pushed you into this as well?

SPEAKER_06 3:29

Yes. So I was so fortunate to come to the Alzheimer's Association early in my career. I was hoping to work in the nonprofit field. I just wanted that strong purpose in what I did every day. And I was specifically interested in the Alzheimer's Association because I lost my great-grandfather to Alzheimer's disease when I was pretty young. I think I was maybe about 12 when he passed away. And you know, his progression, he was into his 90s and I didn't see it up close and personal. He lived in another state, but I did see um all that the various members of my family had to do to help make sure he got what he needed, especially after my great-grandmother passed away. That's when it became like unavoidable. Oh wow, grandpa can't live by himself anymore. I had the interest because I knew it was in my family, and really um before I came to the Alzheimer's Association, I just assumed this was a normal part of aging. You know, maybe this is what happens once you get into your 90s. And my eyes were immediately opened by joining in one of our early stage support groups, which was people who had recent been recently been diagnosed, were coping with what that meant for their lives. And these were people who were like in their 60s and 70s, some of them in their mid-50s. And I was like, wait, what? That was when my education really began. And since then I've been just so fortunate to work with so many families and individuals who have faced this firsthand and really courageously, and some of them really generously in the way that they've given their time and shared their stories to help raise awareness and advance our education and our research and our advocacy efforts.

SPEAKER_04 5:11

Yeah, absolutely. So I love that all things happen for a reason and the fact that you were able to take those life lessons and learning lessons with your grandfather and use it for good. I appreciate that. Thank you so much. So, since you've started, because you've been there for 17 years, you know, not everybody can say that, especially these days, being in the same position and having such a passion in such an area for such a long period of time. How have things changed?

SPEAKER_06 5:36

Well, you know, research has just continually marched forward, and our understanding of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias has grown significantly to the point that you know physicians are much better able to diagnose Alzheimer's disease. And perhaps the most significant thing that has happened has happened this year, and that we have the first FDA-approved Alzheimer's treatments that can actually target the underlying disease pathology and slow the rate of cognitive decline. Before this year, all of the drugs that you might have gotten a prescription for for the treatment of Alzheimer's or another dementia merely treated symptoms that occur with cognitive loss and kind of promote cognitive clarity. Try to lift that fog a little bit. And this is the first treatment that is actually working to remove proteins that accumulate in the brain that we think contribute to Alzheimer's disease. And so it is definitely a huge accomplishment. Very exciting. We hope it's first of many disease modifying treatments. But I do want to say for those who are facing Alzheimer's or dementia today and have already progressed past those early stages of the disease, that care and support is still going to be vitally important. This new treatment is only for the early stages of the disease. So a lot of families out there, you know, it's not going to change their life and what is going to happen down the road. And so the Alzheimer's Association is really committed to making sure that those families have the information that they need and opportunities to connect with support and resources that are going to help them through that journey with dementia.

SPEAKER_04 7:16

Yeah, so I did want to ask you this question. I get asked this a lot, and I still feel like I really don't know the answer. But what is the difference between Alzheimer's and dementia?

SPEAKER_06 7:28

You know, that's a great question. It is one of the most common questions that I get as well. And I'm certainly guilty of using the words a little bit interchangeably because we very much want to make sure families know that even if it is not an Alzheimer's dementia, the services of the Alzheimer's Association are available to them. But the simplest way to explain this is that dementia is an umbrella term for a set of symptoms of cognitive loss or changes that are happening in the brain that are bad enough to impact daily life. So another way to think about it is you have the word cancer. There are many types and causes of cancer. So dementia is a word that means those changes that are happening in the brain. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia. Estimates are that it accounts for 60 to 80 percent of all cases of dementia, but it often can happen alongside other dementias. Um, we call that mixed dementia, particularly when Alzheimer's happens with a vascular dementia. So if someone has heart problems or stroke, that can impact the cognitive function. And so vascular dementia is the next most common type. But you also have other less common types of dementia, including Lewy body dementia, frontal temporal lobe dementia, and several others. While they can be similar in many ways, some of them have a greater impact on different parts of the brain. So that might play out in the behaviors that you see and the types of things that caregivers need to be prepared to address and discuss with doctors. So while there aren't necessarily different treatments for all of these types of dementia, it's important to know what you're facing if you can get a specific diagnosis beyond just the word dementia, so that you can know what to expect and how caregivers can be prepared to address some of the unique challenges that might come up with different types.

SPEAKER_04 9:24

Yeah, I think that's the hard part is really honing in on the specific type of dementia that you're dealing with because they do present different symptoms as I talk with people every day about those that are taking care of their moms or dads that have dementia, and they tell me, well, my mom has this symptom or my dad has this symptom. And clearly I'm not a healthcare professional. I don't deal with that. It's just a conversation that I have as someone that talks with people like you or does some of these podcasts. They're picking my brain because they feel lost. They are really just trying, you're winging it, you're learning as you go.

SPEAKER_06 10:02

Yeah, and you know, one of the things that I've heard people say over the years is if you've seen one case of dementia, you've seen one case of dementia. Um, every person is different, every person's brain is different, their life experiences are different. And so how this plays out for individuals can be very different. However, there are some common warning signs, particularly with an Alzheimer's type dementia. It's not just forgetting names or forgetting where you put your keys. These are the common things that people think about. This is a disease of the brain that is causing a slow decline in memory and thinking and in reasoning skills. So, yes, that can come into play with forgetting particularly recently learned information. So if we had a conversation yesterday and I came back to one of those topics today, you might say, we haven't talked about this. That's definitely something to be concerned about. Um, a typical age-related change might be, you know, sometimes forgetting a name. I am terrible with names, um, forgetting appointments, but then you remember them later. And that is one of the differences with Alzheimer's. That piece of information is just gone. But there are other things like challenges in planning or solving problems. Um, keeping track of monthly bills is one way that this can play out. It can take much longer to do common tasks like their finances or even uh driving to a familiar location, cooking a familiar meal. All those are types of things that might be impacted and could be a red flag that maybe something is going on. Confusion with time and place is another one. So, you know, we all have days where you know you think it's Wednesday all day, but it's actually Thursday. But you you realize that down the road, um, just kind of losing that track of time, having trouble understanding something that is not happening right now, that is another warning sign. Understanding visual images and spatial relationships. So when you start noticing like dings on the car, that's one of the warning signs to look for to you because people who are developing Alzheimer's may have problems judging distance or um you know determining color or contrast in ways that are you know different from just regular vision changes as you age. Another one is new problems with words or writing. Language can change and be impacted in addition to repeating themselves and may struggle with word finding and vocabulary or or naming a common object. So those are just a few of the things.

SPEAKER_04 12:38

So I wanted to ask you a question. One thing that I noticed that my my dad started doing, and I think it might be something common. I I think a lot of times, especially in the early stages, they know that there's a problem if you don't necessarily want to recognize it or that you don't want your loved ones and family to understand that it's happening. Um, my dad, if he couldn't find a word, he would go, uh, as he's trying to think of something. So he would cover it up with that. You know, I was going to the da da da da.

SPEAKER_06 13:11

You know, in those very early stages, uh that is the common impulse to just act like nothing's wrong and to um develop coping mechanisms to kind of cover your tracks, or some in many cases, maybe as a spouse who steps in and completes that sentence and helps to cover for them. And that, you know, I think is a very natural response to these changes that can be alarming, they can be scary. You don't want people to think less of you or to feel embarrassed about um having trouble communicating. Uh, but it's important to notice them, even if you are still, you know, not wanting to be totally public about changes that you're seeing. It's important to notice these changes and talk to a trusted loved one or your doctor about them. Because one of the things you and I talked about recently is that some of these things can mimic other treatable conditions. For example, another warning sign is withdrawal from social activities, things that you love, changes in mood and personality. That can be untreated depression. There are there are many things that can be going on, and it's important to talk to your doctor regardless. You want to get a baseline for your cognitive function, which hopefully that's happening anyway, in the annual Medicare wellness check. But that way, if there are real changes happening, you have a starting place to measure from. And certainly, if there are other things going on that can be treated, you know, you want that quality of life now. Don't put it off because you're worried about what the diagnosis may be.

SPEAKER_04 14:43

It can be very difficult sometimes to take a very stubborn person who does not want to go get a diagnosis if your loved ones are starting to notice that you lost your keys or you can't find your wallet or some of the other things that are real red flags that you might be having some issues if they're not willing to acknowledge that they need further diagnoses. So I do think for me, the idea that there is treatment for that early diagnosis is really a motivator to get someone in early so that they realize that, hey, I can actually stop this in its tracks in the beginning stages versus if I just ignore it, that's their their defensive mode to just act like it's not happening and maybe it will just go away.

SPEAKER_06 15:33

Yeah, I mean, I think you're absolutely right. I am very hopeful that we're about to see the paradigm shift a little bit because until this point, we haven't really had that motivating factor of, you know, something that can slow down this disease to get people to say, Yeah, I want to go to the doctor, of course, I want to get that treatment. The thing about these newest treatments, in particular um Lakimbi, which is now FDA approved, it has only been tested and approved for those with mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's or the earliest stages of Alzheimer's dementia. This does have to be confirmed through a brain scan to confirm the presence of those proteins that are hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, so that we know for sure this is an Alzheimer's type dementia because that drug works to remove those proteins from the brain. So it is not a pill. It's not as simple as, you know, just picking it up at the drugstore and taking it every day. This is twice a month an infusion delivered by IV. So it's a little bit more complicated, and there are, of course, some health risks related to swelling and things like that that can be monitored, and most of the time it does not have any damaging side effects, but it needs to be closely monitored. So it is definitely something to have a conversation with your doctor about because you want to obviously get that benefit if it is the right course of treatment for you.

SPEAKER_04 16:56

Yeah, and the other thing is you may get in there, talk to the doctor, and it may not even be Alzheimer's, it may not be dementia, it may be something completely different, correct?

SPEAKER_06 17:05

That's right. I mean, it can have to do with medications being out of whack, it can have to do with hormones changing, it can have to do with untreated depression. Sometimes thyroid can be an issue and cause some things that mimic the early stages of dementia. You know, even a urinary tract infection can really cause some wild side effects if it gets bad enough, if the infection is bad, um, that make a person act very differently. So there are a lot of things that you want to rule out if you can and make sure that everything is on the level. And if it's not, then there are real benefits to catching this disease early.

SPEAKER_04 17:48

Absolutely. I love it. Well, you know what? I think we're gonna take a quick break and then we'll come back and talk more about the Alzheimer's Association, and we can even continue talking a little bit more about the medication and treatments because I'm finding this absolutely fascinating. I really want to dig into what Alzheimer's Association is all about because I had a completely different idea of what it was before you and I spoke, and I think that our listeners would be intrigued to know as well. So um, we'll take a quick break for our sponsors, Parish Healthcare and Parish Medical Center, and we'll be right back.

SPEAKER_01 18:18

Hey mom, how's retirement home search coming?

SPEAKER_03 18:21

Oh my gosh, I'm just so stressed out. I don't even know where to begin.

SPEAKER_01 18:26

Well, why are you so stressed? What's the matter?

SPEAKER_03 18:29

I I just I I don't know where to find anything. I just need everything in like one place and know what all the options are.

SPEAKER_01 18:37

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SPEAKER_05 19:16

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SPEAKER_04 19:46

All right, thank you for joining us again, and thank you to our podcast sponsors, Parish Healthcare and Parish Medical Center. And we are back with Beth with the Alzheimer's Association, and we're gonna dig deep into this drug that is available for those early symptoms. So share with us a little bit more what those early symptoms might look like and how you can kind of get into a neurologist to get that diagnosis early.

SPEAKER_06 20:10

Sure. Well, you know, the people that I talk with who are living with the early stages of dementia, for everyone, it's a it's a little bit different, but you need to be looking for those things that are just not in keeping with your character, with your routine. So for some people that might be getting lost when you're driving home from work or going to a grocery store, um, something that's nearby and very familiar. For some people, it might be, you know, losing track of your appointments, just not knowing where you're supposed to be. It could be having trouble finding things in your own home, forgetting names of people that you really shouldn't forget their names because you know them really well. Those are all things that you want to check out. And I would encourage anyone who you know is wondering if maybe they have some cognitive changes going on to visit our website at alz.org. In particular, you can go to alz.org slash 10 signs, the number 10 signs, and it's got the full list there, including what's a typical age-related change and an example of something not to be worried about versus something to be worried about. We also have a worksheet that you can download to make your notes on what you're observing, whether that's for yourself or for a loved one. It's really important to have your thoughts organized when you go into a doctor's appointment because you want to be taken seriously. You want to have very concrete examples of what you're noticing that is different and reasons why you're concerned about your memory. Because I think losing your memory is one of the things that everyone is scared about. So it can be really easy if someone is functioning at a high level socially to say, Oh, you're fine. You really need to be an advocate for yourself with your primary care physician or internist or whoever your regular doctor is. And if you're seeing those changes, make sure you look. them out and say I would really like a referral to do an evaluation and see what's going on. So to get in to see a neurologist that that's something you need to be proactive about too. Many of them have long waiting lists to get in for an appointment and you don't want to waste time if the clock is ticking with something like Alzheimer's disease particularly when there may be a treatment available that's most effective in those early stages.

SPEAKER_04 22:26

Yeah yeah no absolutely you have to advocate for yourself and if there is that window you don't want to miss that window because you're lollygagging waiting on someone else to give you permission to get your own medical treatment. You know it's interesting because my dad passed away from dementia and I think way back before his diagnosis and before there was a lot of red flags and he said something to me one day when I thought he was perfectly fine and everybody thought he was perfectly fine and this was probably a year and a half before he was diagnosed and he said to me he said have you ever been like sitting in traffic and you were driving and then all of a sudden you don't know where you're at and I remember saying Dad what are you talking about and I thought well that's the silliest thing I ever saw. He said no I was driving home and I just I started looking around and I I couldn't remember where I was at and I didn't recognize anything and it took me a few minutes when I'm sitting in the car and then all of a sudden I just started driving and then I was okay but I was panicking and he says that's never happened to you I'm like no and then I blew it off. But I remember thinking that was the weirdest thing.

SPEAKER_06 23:36

Yeah that's one of the the really common ones that I hear and even I believe in the story still Alice I think that was one of the um early symptoms was getting lost in a familiar place. And you know that is something to take seriously I I have had the sensation of arriving somewhere and not really remembering the drive because you're so like thinking about something else but that's different from getting disoriented while you're driving. And it's definitely something to talk to your doctor about that's what I really want to drive home. I think a lot of people are resistant to talk to a doctor about these changes but you know it's important to intervene early if it is Alzheimer's another type of dementia particularly with an Alzheimer's type dementia because there is a treatment now that is available for mild cognitive impairment which is those very early changes that happen before we call it dementia or the mildest stages of Alzheimer's disease dementia with confirmation of that protein that's accumulating in the brain. And this is going to be a time intensive process to get through all of those initial conversations with your doctor to get the the brain scan done to have those conversations it's not something you want to waste time on. This treatment is not a silver bullet it's not a cure it can give people more months and the very high functioning stages of the disease so compared to the placebo cognitive decline was slowed by more than five months. So if you think about five months in the the scheme of doctor's appointments and trying to jump through all the hoops you don't want to waste any time so I I do encourage anyone who is seeing these signs who wants to have a conversation about whether the new treatments are right for you to get started right away because it's not to be something you get a prescription for that day and walk out the door.

SPEAKER_04 25:24

Right exactly well let's talk a little bit about the Alzheimer's association because I donated to the Alzheimer's Association it's a definite passion of mine but I always in my mind it was discovering a cure in research. So when you donated it was to help finding that cure um the research for it but you do so much more. So kind of dig into that what what all does the Alzheimer's Association offer?

SPEAKER_06 25:52

Yeah I that is a great question and it's interesting to hear what people's idea of the Alzheimer's Association is. I think locally sometimes people think oh well they just do support groups oh some people just think we do research but the reality is we do all of the above our mission spans advancing research maximizing care and support for people who are impacted and even the goal of one day having a means of prevention for Alzheimer's disease so advancing brain health and getting the word out about ways that you can reduce your own risk for developing Alzheimer's or another dementia. So we're about people and we're about science. So real quick on the science side we are the largest nonprofit funder of Alzheimer's disease research so all of our local fund research that we do through the Alzheimer's Association whether it's a walk to end Alzheimer's which happens in the fall or the longest stay during the summer or even our big cycling event which we just wrapped up in South Carolina called Ride to End Alzheimer's all the funds that we raise some of that is going to our research efforts and we are a global leader in funding Alzheimer's disease research we also convene scientists and experts from around the world every year to share their knowledge and network and share ideas that is actually wrapping up as we speak at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference this year in Amsterdam. So you may have noticed a lot of headlines happening here lately and those are all being generated from this international conference as people are sharing their data. So it's very exciting to be driving that research forward with the grants that we are issuing millions each year and grants to the most innovative ideas out there to see if there's enough promise there to bring it to that next step of maybe receiving federal funding through the National Institutes of health. We're also driving you know advocacy with Congress to make sure we're investing in research as a country as well as advancing policies that are going to help families across the nation but bringing it back to local support I want families to know that whether they're facing Alzheimer's or another dementia the free services of the Alzheimer's association are here and at your disposal one of the best tools that you can use is alz.org we have a ton of information on there whether you're worried about the warning signs or you're having difficulty with particular aspects of caregiving you want to plug in with support groups or find an education program that you can learn from all of those things are available on our website at alz.org you can even put in your zip code and find the chapter that's closest to you. And we also have a 24 hour helpline so this is every day every hour it's manned by a trained master's level social worker. It is not just a call center this is you're gonna taught someone even more qualified than me to help with what you're going through. And they can point you to all the resources that you need through that one help call. So again whether you're just starting out you're worried about some memory changes or you're caregiving right now in the middle of the night or at the end of your rope you can call that number it's 800-272-3900.

SPEAKER_04 29:00

So quick question that is for those suffering with Alzheimer's dementia and then also the caregivers. So is that for both?

SPEAKER_06 29:09

Well yes if people in the early stages have questions or looking for support services they can certainly call I would say more traditionally it's caregivers or family members who are calling to get information because a lot of times it's the family members who are those information finders especially once you get past those earliest stages of the disease where someone is needing more help than they did before. There are just a ton of great resources there. We also have a number of educational programs that range again from the warning signs to ways you can reduce your risk to very specific aspects of caregiving. So we have a wonderful program called Effective Communication Strategies. This is all about how we as family members or care providers can change the way that we are interacting with that person living with dementia to have a more successful conversation because the brain is not processing the same way. It's not working in the same rational way that it always has one of the ways that we can combat that is changing the way that we ask questions you know to not overwhelm with too much information too many details to provide simple choices um and also not to argue you know to live in the moment with that person correcting is never a productive pathway. If someone thinks that Joe is sitting in the room next door and Joe has been gone for a while then that's not something we need to correct and and set the record straight. We can just say oh that's great maybe we'll go talk to him later and just you know move on. So some of those techniques are available through our education programs.

SPEAKER_04 30:43

Oh that's awesome. You really do you offer the full gamut of opportunities between the education the support and then also the research for you know one day we'll hopefully have a cure for this that would be a day of rejoicing I just cannot imagine.

SPEAKER_06 31:00

Yeah that definitely it is absolutely the hope and it's something that we're continually moving forward. I think we have more hope now than ever before but I do want to underscore you know anyone who is facing this right now and feeling the need for support whether you'd like to be a part of an in-person support group maybe you'd feel more comfortable dialing into a Zoom call or being a part of a message board all of those options are available to you. We became a lot more flexible during the pandemic and the different ways that we offer programs some of our education programs are in person, some are by Zoom, some are on demand you can just log in anytime you have a free hour and take it on our website directly we also have some early stage support programming depending on who we have involved at that point. So I will say in South Carolina in the Greenville area we have a really strong group of people who are living in the early stages who are passionate about supporting each other and so we have a great group there. And a lot of times it takes those individuals coming forward and saying hey I want to connect with other people who are facing this to help your local association chapter establish that support because you need a core group of people. So I would encourage anyone who is facing the early stages to give us a call and see how we can help and if what you need is not available help us uh understand what you need so we can get you the support that you need.

SPEAKER_04 32:22

I absolutely love this this has been such a fabulous conversation and I just wanted to also put out if you don't have someone in your family that currently has Alzheimer's dementia you're not caregiving but you want to volunteer because you have a passion for it, that's available as well.

SPEAKER_06 32:38

Yeah we have so many volunteer opportunities so that can range from helping with our special events like our walk to end Alzheimer's in the fall to being trained as a community educator to offer some of these programs in your community. We have volunteers who just share their story as advocates. We stay in touch with our state and our federal legislators all year long to make sure they understand policies that they can support and how it will impact their constituents. So you as a constituent have an important voice in that process. All of these things help us advance our cause and you can learn more about volunteering on our website at alc.org. alz.org slash volunteer yes that's right so you can take that shortcut if you would like and then also just to touch on this really quickly um one of your biggest events I know we've talked about a couple of them is the walk to end Alzheimer's that's a national program correct that's right the Alzheimer's association walk to end Alzheimer's takes place in over 600 communities nationwide this is our biggest signature event of the year it is an all ages all abilities walk it's not an endurance event it can range from one to three miles um in in each community and usually this is a Saturday morning in the fall everyone comes together we have a wonderful opening ceremony with a meaningful activity everyone gets a a little pinwheel flower that the color symbolizes your reason for walking so I would select a purple flower for my great grandfather and remembering him but if I was currently a caregiver I would take a yellow flower and it's just you you look across a field and you see the way that your community is impacted and everyone is coming together. And it is free to register we encourage people to fundraise to get your t-shirt collect donations from your families and friends but it's a wonderful way to get involved and if you haven't interacted with the Alzheimer's Association before it's a great big open door for you to come and meet us and see what we're all about.

SPEAKER_04 34:40

I absolutely love it. It's so exciting. Well I thank you so much for having us today. Is there anything that you wanted to add before we wrap up this podcast?

SPEAKER_06 34:47

I just want to say you know thank you for shining a light on this a lot of times people don't want to talk about Alzheimer's because it is scary. It's it can be sad. I want people to know that help is available and also that there is hope on the horizon. This is something that we are fighting hard every way that we possibly can and we're getting closer every day and it's because of the support both the dollars and the volunteerism and the awareness from people in our community who are getting involved so thanks to everyone out there and thanks to the caregivers. Thanks for all that you're doing.

SPEAKER_04 35:22

Yeah absolutely that's definitely a difficult job and it's not easy for anyone but the fact that you get in there you do it and um but we do appreciate the support that you do provide those caregivers as well. So we do appreciate that. Thank you so much. Thank you for joining us today and if you enjoyed this podcast please share with a senior caregiver that you think would enjoy our other podcasts which are available on Apple and Spotify and anywhere you enjoy music or podcast