Remembering ClergyAgainstAlzheimer’s Founder, Dr. Richard L. Morgan

The movement to end Alzheimer’s disease has lost a giant. Dr. Richard L. Morgan passed away at age 93 on March 25. Dr. Morgan was a Presbyterian minister, prolific author, brilliant thinker, and a founder of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s Clergy Network , which he called, “The legacy of the last chapter of my life.” What a life and what a legacy. Dr. Morgan cared deeply about those living with dementia and their families. He put this into action in ways small and large, including writing extensively on aging and spirituality, and ministering to caregivers. He believed that people with dementia could –

COVID-19 and Dementia: What People Have Learned about Themselves

The Alzheimer’s community has experienced enormous hardship and heartache since the COVID-19 pandemic started in March. Dementia caregivers are dealing with ongoing stress and people with Alzheimer’s report more rapid cognitive decline. Nursing home residents have been terribly affected by COVID-19 with rising cases and deaths, and restrictions on visitors meaning long separations from family. Throughout the last eight months, UsAgainstAlzheimer’s A-LIST has surveyed caregivers and people living with dementia on the impact of the pandemic, and learned about their stress, their isolation and their fears. But the surveys also have shown their insights and introspections. In a recent survey

COVID-19 and Dementia: Lessons for the Next Pandemic

People with dementia and care partners are among those hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly Black and Latino families. A new UsAgainstAlzheimer’s A-LIST® survey shows ongoing closures and restrictions continue to seriously affect the memory and behaviors of those living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, and cause enormous ongoing stress for caregivers. In our September A-LIST survey, we asked respondents, “What do you think your local, state and federal governments, and community-based groups, should be doing to help those living with dementia or mild cognitive impairment and their caregivers to prepare for the next pandemic?” Here are some of

COVID-19 and Dementia: Imagining the Future with a Vaccine

With the national conversation focused on when a vaccine for COVID-19 might be approved and available, our recent UsAgainstAlzheimer’s A-LIST® survey asked the Alzheimer’s community about how their lives might change with an available vaccine. The September survey showed that 60 percent of survey respondents intend to get a COVID-19 vaccine when it is available. That’s nearly double the percentage of respondents in a recent national survey, but it still reflected concern that the vaccine development and testing was being rushed for political reasons. No community is being harder hit by a non-infectious disease in the middle of the COVID-19

Giving Voice to What Matters Most: Dementia's Not What You Think It Is

UsAgainstAlzheimer’s “Giving Voice to What Matters Most” series features the stories of people who are living with dementia or at high risk for the disease. Tracey Lind, Daisy Duarte and Greg O’Brien recently met by Zoom to talk about issues that are important to them. The three friends want to help others understand what it’s like to have dementia or be at high risk. In part four of the series, Tracey, Daisy and Greg talk stigma and misconceptions about dementia. We hear first from Tracey Lind. Tracey Lind: There are a number of misconceptions and stigma related to dementia. One