dementia

The former first lady Rosalynn Carter, pictured in 2019, was a dedicated champion of mental health care, working tirelessly to de-stigmatize mental health illness.

National

Former first lady Rosalynn Carter has dementia, her family says

10:38pm May 30, 2023

by Vanessa Romo

The announcement comes less than four months after former President Jimmy Carter entered hospice care at the couple's home in Plains, Georgia following several stints in and out of the hospital.

Jonnie Lewis-Thorpe, now 83, (right) lives with her daughter Angela Reynolds. She has Alzheimer's and lost her home due to symptoms of the disease.

As some families learn the hard way, dementia can take a toll on financial health

10:22am May 12, 2023

by Sarah Boden

Reckless behavior with money can be a warning sign of cognitive decline — and the condition can put people at risk of financial ruin. There are few institutional safeguards in place.

A new study looks for associations between changes in alcohol consumption and the risk of dementia, in research that is based on nearly 4 million people in South Korea.

Does drinking alcohol affect your dementia risk? We asked a researcher for insights

8:15am February 18, 2023

by Bill Chappell

A large study found that cutting down on alcohol is a good idea. People who quit drinking also had increased risk of dementia, but researchers cautioned about drawing conclusions from that.

Health & Safety

Actor Bruce Willis has frontotemporal dementia. Here's what to know about the disease

3:47am February 17, 2023

by Ayana Archie

Willis family announced Thursday that his previous diagnosis of aphasia has progressed to frontotemporal dementia. The disease can cause issues with speaking and writing.

This illustration made available by the National Institute on Aging/National Institutes of Health depicts cells in an Alzheimer's-affected brain. An experimental drug modestly slowed the brain disease's progression, researchers reported Tuesday.

Study: Alzheimer's drug shows modest success slowing declines in memory, thinking

11:03am November 30, 2022

by Jon Hamilton

In a large study, the experimental Alzheimer's drug lecanemab reduced the rate of cognitive decline by 27 percent in people in the early stages of the disease.

A doctor points to PET scan results that are part of Alzheimer's disease research. Much work in the field focuses a substance called beta-amyloid. A new study could test whether that's the right target.

What causes Alzheimer's? Study puts leading theory to 'ultimate test'

4:46pm November 01, 2022

by Jon Hamilton

Researchers are launching a make-or-break study to test the conventional wisdom about what causes Alzheimer's disease.

An undated photo provided by the Larimer County Sheriff's Office of Austin Hopp in Fort Collins, Colo.

Former policeman is sentenced to 5 years for the rough arrest of a woman with dementia

7:40am May 06, 2022

by The Associated Press

A former Colorado police officer shown on body camera video roughly arresting a 73-year-old woman with dementia and later seen joking about it was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison.

A condition called mild cognitive impairment may be an early sign of Alzheimer's disease.

This form of memory loss is common — but most Americans don't know about it

3:40pm March 18, 2022

by Jon Hamilton

Mild cognitive impairment, a common brain condition, can be an early sign of Alzheimer's disease. But most people don't know the symptoms. And some may mistake it for normal aging.

Portrait of Phillip Lyn taken by his spouse, Kurt Rehwinkel, outside their home in St. Louis.

Health & Safety

For Those Facing Alzheimer's, A Controversial Drug Offers Hope

2:24pm June 15, 2021

by Jon Hamilton

A plaque-busting Alzheimer's drug called Aduhelm has yet to prove it can preserve memory and thinking. Even so, its approval by the Food and Drug Administration is making some patients opitimistic.

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Anthony Hopkins says he remembers standing at his father's bedside when he died: "And I remember thinking to myself: Yeah, you're not so hot either, because one day it'll happen to you. This is life." Hopkins stars as Anthony, a man experiencing dementia,

Arts

'We Don't Know What's Coming': Anthony Hopkins Plays 'The Father' With Dementia

5:01am February 26, 2021

by Steve Inskeep

At 83, Hopkins says he knew exactly how the play his role in the film The Father. "I just had a sense of it," he says. The film was directed by Florian Zeller, whose grandmother had dementia.

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