December 3, 2018. By Ashley Agnew:

Alzheimer’s Disease is a condition that unfortunately has been making its way into many of our conversations, with more families finding comfort in discussing their roles as caretakers, family members, and patients touched by the disease. An issue that has impacted many of our own loved ones, we were privileged to host Dr. Paul Solomon of the Boston Center for Memory at our breakfast event on September 25th, 2018 to review the recent developments and treatments.  In hearing his presentation, it quickly became clear that it is not out of chance that we are hearing about memory disorders now more than ever. Dr. Solomon shared that in 2018 an estimated 5.7 million Americans were affected. It can be predicted that by 2050 there will be more than 14 million affected, making this topic an important one for all families, especially those who may carry the financial responsibility of taking care of loved ones. In 2017 alone, unpaid caregivers contributed care was valued at $232 billion.

Dr. Solomon shared the message that in order to begin mitigating costs, we must first become more open and proactive about the reality of our risk.  Many afflicted go untreated and Americans between the ages of 65 and 85 can have anywhere from a 10 to 50 percent chance of developing the disease.  Early detection through professional evaluation and scans are the best way to detect its presence and cannot be completed too early; many of the plaques that cause progression of the disease can begin forming 15 years prior to noticeable symptoms.  This video helped the group understand the pathology behind the formation and progression of Alzheimer’s:

In addition to a general overview of how Alzheimer’s works and the history of its discovery, Dr. Solomon covered the current treatments both in use and in the testing phase.  Broadly speaking these are defined as either symptomatic (drugs to improve memory and cognition), or disease modifying (to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s Disease with the goal of halting progression).  The research and trials at the Boston Center for Memory range across both types of treatments. It was enlightening to the group to learn that the studies and evaluations conducted at the Center are privately funded and completely free of charge to its patients.

We appreciate all of our dear clients, colleagues, and trusted professionals who took the time to attend this event which both raised awareness and provided educational content.  In addition to those in attendance, we also had several folks interested who were unable to make it due to scheduling conflicts or distance. Below you will find a brief recap of the presentation, and you can also click here for a full taping of the event.

The Boston Center for Memory is a multi-specialty center, providing patients with a treatment team approach for evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up care.  We hope that you will take a moment to look at their website to learn about the impactful work they do and care they provide.  Finally, we would like to extend our thanks to Dr. Solomon and his team for making this event possible.