The Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement at Cleveland Clinic

Signs of depression, anxiety or worsening memory loss often go unnoticed in older adults — which is especially troubling, given the high rates of suicide among this age group. “Sometimes, people don’t want to deal with small talk or pleasantries anymore, or they simply don’t want to be seen,” geriatric psychiatrist John Sanitato, MD recognizes. “This can result in social withdrawal, a lack of interest in activities and changes in appearance and comportment.” Keep an eye on the people you love as they age. Pay attention, especially, if they: -Stop enjoying things they used to love. -Distance themselves from communities, activities and other social groups they used to be part of. -Shower less often and/or stop caring about their appearance. -Stop taking their medications or going to doctor’s appointments. -Stop maintaining their home or yard, especially if they previously cared a lot about them. -Miss bill payments or overpay their bills. -Show other signs of dementia or cognitive impairment. Your loved one may not ask for help or even realize they’re struggling with mental or cognitive health issues. But if you become aware, you can help set up an appointment with their primary care doctor. You can also call or text 988, known as the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, from anywhere in the U.S. to be connected to professionals who can help you work through your concerns and figure out next steps. They can even send a mobile response team and provide long-term support. “Early diagnosis is really important,” geriatric physician Kathleen Rogers, MD stresses. “The earlier you diagnose depression, anxiety or memory loss, you can put things in place to help prevent or delay further decline.” #WomenAndAlzheimers

There are several different types of dementia, like Lewy body dementia and frontotemporal dementia, that each have different origins and their own set of unique symptoms. In most cases, people who develop dementia experience relatively similar symptoms early on that get worse over time. These symptoms can not only have an impact on your ability to think and act clearly, but they can also have an impact on your physical, mental and emotional health. In many cases, early signs of dementia are often paired with a difficulty handling changes in routine, behavior and patterns of thinking. Here are some common early signs: -Getting lost in familiar places. When you have dementia, you may wander from time to time, or get confused in familiar surroundings. If you find yourself getting lost in familiar locations like your neighborhood, on your daily route to work or school, or even inside your home, that may be a cause for concern. -Forgetting short-term conversations. Occasional forgetfulness and having trouble finding the right word in a conversation is behavior we’re all familiar with. But if this happens more frequently and you find yourself forgetting conversations you had just minutes or hours ago, or you have a hard time pulling up a name of someone close to you, that may be worrisome. -Difficulty making decisions and keeping up with the changes. If someone is having trouble making decisions or seems easily confused by things that they normally would have been able to handle, that may be a concerning situation. -Having a hard time doing simple math and handling money. If you’ve been previously good with numbers but have trouble doing simple arithmetic while paying bills, counting your finances or coming up with a tip at a restaurant, these behaviors may have cause for concern. An inability to pay attention to even the smallest details or difficulty reasoning are common symptoms of dementia. -Slowing down. It’s natural to slow down a little as we age, but it shouldn’t have too much of an impact on your ability to get through the day. Other physical symptoms of dementia may also appear in the form of loss of hearing or vision. #WomenAndAlzheimers

Healthcare facilities that manage patients with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease have reported success in reducing confusion and agitation when using baby dolls or toy dogs and cats. Despite ample anecdotal evidence to support the value of tactile nonpharmacologic interventions, acute-care researchers had not previously explored the feasibility of conducting formal studies to understand the efficacy of baby doll therapy (BDT). A team of Cleveland Clinic nurse investigators addressed this knowledge gap with a pilot study aimed at evaluating the viability of further baby doll therapy research. Prior to starting the therapy, all clinical nurses who worked on the two study units were required to attend specialized training on how to use and interpret the agitated behavior scale. Ashley Hall, MSN, RN, explains that the feasibility of future research on BDT hinged on answers to several key questions, including whether the dolls would be well received by both male and female patients and their families. “The answer to our primary question was overwhelmingly yes!” she says. “Almost without exception, patients received the dolls with open arms. It was actually quite astonishing to watch how they interacted with their ‘babies.’” Although each study participant approached their “caregiving responsibilities” differently, interactions with the doll seemed to correspond to a reduction in agitation, says Hall. “Although evaluating the effectiveness of BDT was not our original objective, we found that agitated behavior scale scores decreased among patients who received a doll,” she adds. “Both caregivers and family members expressed witnessing notable changes in patient demeanor, and we were amazed by the positive feedback we received.” Ultimately, the pilot study demonstrates that BDT appears to be associated with a reduction in agitation behaviors. However, investigators caution that more research is needed! #WomenAndAlzheimers

Did you know people with Down syndrome are at a greater risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease? WAM Research Award Recipient Elizabeth Head, PhD, gives an update on her team’s research on the sex difference between men and women with Down syndrome. Want to help fund more research? Today is the last day that your gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $5,000 made possible by a new WAM supporter! To donate or learn more, click the link in our story or “Research” highlight! #WomenAndAlzheimers #AlzheimersAndBrainAwarenessMonth

Getting lost or disoriented is often one of the first signs of Alzheimer’s disease. WAM Research Award Recipient Liz Chrastil, PhD, is looking at how navigational abilities change throughout our lives, and how menopause could impact our ability to navigate. Want to help fund more research? For the rest of June, your gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $5,000 made possible by a new WAM supporter! To donate or learn more, click the link in our story or “Research” highlight! #WomenAndAlzheimers #AlzheimersAndBrainAwarenessMonth

An abnormal buildup of tau protein is linked to several brain disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease. WAM Research Award Recipient Sarah Banks, PhD, shares how our seed funding led to a larger study to look at how lifestyle factors like diet, exercise, and sleep impact inflammation and ultimately tau buildup in the brain. Want to help fund more research? For the rest of June, your gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $5,000 made possible by a new WAM supporter! To donate or learn more, click the link in our story or “Research” highlight! #WomenAndAlzheimers #AlzheimersAndBrainAwarenessMonth

Can we diagnose Alzheimer’s disease in women sooner? Verbal episodic memory tests are often used to screen patients for Alzheimer’s disease. Women tend to perform better on these tests, potentially masking their memory loss. 2024 WAM Research Award Recipient Taylor Levine, PhD, will work to test a spatial navigation screening that could be widely used, leading to earlier diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Want to help fund more research? For the rest of June, your gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $5,000 made possible by a new WAM supporter! To donate or learn more, click the link in our story or “Research” highlight! #WomenAndAlzheimers #AlzheimersAndBrainAwarenessMonth

What happens to your brain when you stop eating ultra-processed foods? 2024 WAM Research Award Recipient @drjessicacaldwell will look at what happens to women’s brains when they start a new journey of healthy eating. The goal is to see how giving up ultra-processed food impacts the brain in how it functions and how it changes physically. Want to help fund more research? For the rest of June, your gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $5,000 made possible by a new WAM supporter! To donate or learn more, click the link in our story or “Research” highlight. #WomenAndAlzheimers #AlzheimersAndBrainAwarenessMonth

Join me as I talk to Jessica Caldwell PhD, the Director of Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement (WAM) Prevention and Research Center at Cleveland Clinic about brain health! Check out the recent survey from Parade and Cleveland Clinic through the link in @womensalzmovement ’s bio. To learn more about brain health, visit /prevention/ #dementia #caregiver #alzheimers #alzheimer #dementiaawareness #dementiacare #caregiverlife #alzheimerssucks #vasculardementia #frontotemporaldementia #lewybodydementia #alzheimersfight #alzheimersdisease #dementiasucks #dementiapatients #dementiasupport #caregiversupport #caregivers #brainhealth

It’s #AlzheimersAndBrainAwarnessMonth and the perfect time to sign up for our newsletter. We work to change the future for women and Alzheimer’s disease by focusing on the four pillars: research, education, advocacy and clinical care. Stay connected with our mission by signing up today! To sign up, click the link in our story above, or in our “Events” highlight.  #WomenAndAlzheimers

Have you ever just lost your train of thought while you’re in the middle of an activity? Or maybe you’re caught up in conversation when suddenly you have trouble remembering that darn word or detail that just slipped out of reach. These events are common as you get older. But if your thinking has been affected suddenly and gradually worsens so you have difficulty focusing or putting your thoughts into words, you may be experiencing what people call brain fog. Brain fog doesn’t have a single official definition or medical diagnosis. Instead, it’s often a cluster of cognitive symptoms that people experience. Brain fog can be a lot of things to different people, too. It can include any or all of the following: Trouble focusing. Difficulty staying attentive. Trouble remembering familiar details like names, places or words. Slow reaction times and information processing. General fatigue or lethargy. Cloudiness in judgment. Frequent loss of train of thought. So, what’s causing the blockage of information? Well, there’s no definitive answer. One idea is that your body’s immune system response could cause inflammation in your brain. When inflammation occurs, this could cause a temporary blockage in processing information. Here are some common conditions associated with brain fog symptoms: Pregnancy. COVID-19. Depression and anxiety. Chemotherapy. Food sensitivities.  Blood sugar levels.  Autoimmune conditions.  In general, there aren’t any known medications or treatments that correct brain fog directly. To immediately address most chronic stressors, focus on improving your sleep, getting good nutrition and exercising 30 minutes every day, five days a week. These small changes to your everyday life can build up over time and greatly impact your immune system response and reduce inflammation. If you’ve tried these methods, or you’ve experienced brain fog for some time, you should call your healthcare provider or work with an integrative medicine specialist. #WomenAndAlzheimers #AlzheimersAndBrainAwarenessMonth

Throughout this Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, we’ve been reflecting on the urgent need to address the disproportionate impact of Alzheimer’s disease on women. Despite comprising nearly two-thirds of those living with Alzheimer’s, women have been underrepresented in research to understand and treat this devastating condition. The Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement (WAM) at Cleveland Clinic is leading the charge to close this research gap. Through our groundbreaking grant program, we fund cutting-edge studies that explore the biological, cognitive, and lifestyle factors that influence Alzheimer’s disease risk and progression in women. For the rest of June, your gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $5,000 made possible by a new WAM supporter! Your generosity will play a direct role in accelerating gender-based Alzheimer’s research and bringing us closer to a future where no woman’s brain health is compromised. Together, we can close the research gap and ensure that women are at the forefront of the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. To donate or to learn more, use this link: bit.ly/ALZMonth24 or click the link in our story or in our “Research” highlight! #WomenAndAlzheimers #AlzheimersAndBrainAwarenessMonth