On September 9, Tim Harrington & Anne Marie Pilot (virtual) form the Alzheimers Association stopped by the Machine Shed to share some news and updates around Alzheimer's disease.
Tim shared that both of his parents lived with the disorder which got him active in both awareness and also fundraising to find a cure.
A few takeaways are:
- Dementia is a "blanket term". As there are many kinds of cancer, there are different types of Dementia like Vascular Dementia and Lewy Body Dementia.
- The disorder affects the Hippocampus first, which is the region of the brain responsible for "higher thought"
- There was a 16% increase in death by Alzheimer's during the pandemic, showing a strong correlation with socialization and keeping "sharp"
There wasn't a happy, uplifting end to the talk. There is still no "cure" for Alzheimer disease, yet on-going research provides potential hints to moving this disorder from incurable to treatable. Alz.org provides more information on research, fundraising, and stories of hope.
