Introducing a new Alzheimer's series that Smart Senior Daily will publish over the coming months. Ahead of Alzheimer's: A New Window of Hope, a project of Rebuild Medicine, is hosted by Emily Kaplan, co-founder and CEO of the Broken Science Initiative and MetFix, and a former ABC News journalist, focuses on making brain health and Alzheimer's detection.
The series is also available on YouTube and Substack.
The series features conversations with patients, caregivers, clinicians, researchers, and policymakers exploring early detection, diagnosis, intervention, and the policy reforms shaping the future of Alzheimer's care.
A call for early testing from D.C.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has called for standardized early Alzheimer's screening, and CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz has advocated for early diagnosis awareness.
"For decades, the U.S. healthcare system has prioritized heart health and cancer while overlooking the brain, even though Alzheimer's disease affects nearly 20 million Americans," said Kaplan.
"The science is clear: the changes that lead to Alzheimer's begin years before symptoms appear. Earlier detection gives individuals and families the opportunity to make lifestyle changes and plan for the future. We need to bring the same urgency and preventive focus to brain health that we have long applied to heart disease and cancer."
Real stories, real people
ABC News anchor Bill Ritter recently announced on air that he had been diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer's disease, sharing that early detection has allowed him to scale back his work responsibilities and access treatments that help slow the progression of symptoms.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an early and accurate diagnosis also gives individuals and their families more time to consider financial planning, participation in clinical trials, and advance care directives.
Alzheimer's disease remains one of the most urgent and costly public health challenges in the United States, with millions of Americans affected and an estimated $409 billion in annual costs related to care and caregiving.
The series launched with eight original episodes examining the many dimensions of Alzheimer's disease, highlighting both the challenges it presents and the scientific breakthroughs shaping its future.
Smart Senior Daily Staff
Episode 1
In Episode 1, Dr. Brent Beasley—a retired physician living with Alzheimer's—shares his personal journey from diagnosis and treatment to advocacy, highlighting the importance of early detection and support from loved ones.
