By Vernon Doucette,
Boston University Photography
Concord residents had a terrific opportunity to learn from one of the nation's leading Alzheimer's researchers last night as Dr Robert Stern, co-director of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy at Boston University's School of Medicine, spoke at the Concord Council on Aging. Stern, an excellent speaker, filled evening with both useful information and hopeful stories.
I knew we were in for a good evening when he started off with what most would consider a professional and political No-No: he told a joke about a man suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. And his point was well-taken: successful Alzheimer's caregivers have to have a sense of humor.
Humor, Hope, and Help were his buzzwords for the evening, and he managed to address a frightening and complex topic in a way that was sympathetic and approachable. His primary message: Alzheimer's and dementia are not "just what it's like to be old." Some slowing is normal, just as we slow down physically. But confusion, memory loss, and inability to reason are not "normal aging" - they are signs of a disease, and with research, it is a disease that might one day be prevented or cured.
Data flowed freely: deaths attributed to Alzheimer's Disease rose 66% in the first decade of this century. More telling - it was the only one of the top ten causes of death that increased. Death rates for other top killers -- cancer, heart disease, even HIV-AIDS -- declined. This highlights the need for additional research and clinical trials. But the story is not all depressing, and he told several stories of families managing well with the disease. As we always say, you have to accept each day for what it is, but there remain many rich days in life even after the onset of Alzheimer's. The emotional life of most patients remains very rich, and their ability to connect with loved ones can remain strong even after cognitive deficits have become clear to those around them.
As a researcher, he made a plea for more funding and more volunteers for trials. "There's a wide range of trials at various stages," he said. "Anyone over 50, healthy or not, highly-funcitoning or not, can contribute." Some programs are as simple as logging into a web site to track various activites; others are full-blown clinical trials. All types of volunteers are needed, and you can easily find a trial to participate in at the Alzheimer's Association web page: Alzheimer's Association TrialMatch® . I have personally signed up for several trials via this web site and it is easy to use.
The evening was very well-attended - I would guess more than 60 people were in the room at the Harvey Wheeler Center. It was fascintating, fun, and hopeful. People who are interested in Alzheimer's Disease should be on the lookout for Dr Stern if he speaks again in this area. He is a valuable resource and we were lucky to have him in Concord.
