Doctors and scientists can teach us
some important things about Alzheimer’s
disease. But what can we learn from the
people living with it?

Patient spotlight

“You can really move your life forward with [a diagnosis]. You need to. You need to do things that are creative. You need to stimulate your brain.” – Mark Sennet, Emmy-award winning photographer diagnosed with Alzheimer’s

Mark Sennet

He’s a celebrity photographer who uses his camera to destigmatize Alzheimer’s.

Read Mark’s story here.

Betsy Groves

She’s a retired Harvard lecturer and describes symptoms over a decade before diagnosis.

Read Betsy’s story here.

Reda Harrison

She’s a retired healthcare worker who focuses on building community.

Read Reda’s story here.

 

 

Featured stories

Recognizing dementia’s early signs and symptoms

What are the signs of early-onset Alzheimer’s?

Learn five signs to look out for — which can appear as early as in one’s 30s or 40s — and what to do if you spot them.

These signs can help you catch Alzheimer’s early.

Forgetfulness isn’t unusual. But studies have pinpointed a few specific symptoms that appear early and are worth talking to a doctor about.

 

Noticing uncharacteristic trouble with managing finances?

It could be an early warning sign of dementia, per a Duke University study.

 

Doctors told this attorney her sudden loss of ability to read was probably just stress. It turned out to be Alzheimer’s.

Read Michele Hall’s story.

Bruce Willis’s daughter shared insight into her dad’s frontotemporal dementia  symptoms. An FTD expert weighs in.

Read Tallulah Willis’s story.

An advocate lives with FTD shares her vision of a world without dementia stigma.

Read Emily Ong’s story.

What are Alzheimer’s disease’s early signs? Hear from an expert

 

Why is Alzheimer’s disease so difficult to diagnose? University of Washington’s Dr. Barak Gaster tells us key early signs that help doctors make a better diagnosis. 

Learn more.

Patient perspectives on living with dementia

A former atomic energy research scientist shares the symptoms that first warned of her vascular dementia.

Read Gerda Saunders’s story.

This exec felt forgetful at work — then came her Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

Read Pam Montana’s story.

Here’s how a veteran changed her life after an Alzheimer’s diagnosis at age 42.

Read Anitra Mostacero’s story.

Following her Alzheimer’s diagnosis, this college president became an artist.

Read Rebecca Chopp’s story.

When MCI cut this trial attorney’s career short, he started a fulfilling new chapter.

Read Dale Rivard’s story.

 

Living well with Alzheimer’s: a retired air force engineer’s “how to.”

Read Chuck McClatchey’s story.

 

Just diagnosed? Guidance from more experts

Occupational therapist Teepa Snow shares advice for caregivers and patients.

Read the story.

 

UCSF neuropsychologist Emily Paolillo, Ph.D. explains MCI and what goes into diagnosis

Read the story.

 

A patient advocate’s step-by-step strategy for finding the right doctor.

Read the story.

Innovations and initiatives for earlier diagnosis

Sonde Health’s David Liu: What can your voice reveal about your cognitive health?

Read the story.

Explore three high-tech new approaches for diagnosing Alzheimer’s.

Read the story.

 

Here’s what you need to know about what new Alzheimer’s blood tests can — and can’t — do.

Read the story.

 

Getting an accurate diagnosis

For Years They Lived With Alzheimer’s. Then New Information Came to Light

Two women share their experiences of being diagnosed in their early 60s. But recently, each learned they don’t have the key biomarker of Alzheimer’s disease in their brains — meaning they’ve been misdiagnosed for years.

Read their story.

Lewy body dementia and Alzheimer’s are tough to distinguish. Here’s one personal account of being misdiagnosed.

Read Michael Belleville’s story.

 

Is it Lewy body or Alzheimer’s? Dag Aarsland explains why doctors struggle to tell the two apart.

Read the story.

 

Plagued by dementia symptoms for a decade, a patient shares his long and uncertain diagnosis story.

Read Michael Ellenbogen’s story.

 

Inspiring others

“Living With Thunder.” A caregiver and dad’s lessons learned after his wife’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis at age 48.

Read Joe Brazeal’s story.

@MomOfMyMom: This mom and daughter are sharing mom’s Alzheimer’s journey on TikTok.

Read their story.

A personal story of an early-onset dementia — and the ensuing work to break down stigma in the Latino community.

Read LuPita Gutierrez-Parker’s story.

Wisdom on living well with dementia

Three people compare notes on how they changed their lives after a dementia diagnosis.

Hear from Chris Maddocks, Frances Isaacs, and Teresa Davies.

After her Alzheimer’s diagnosis, this pastor found a new calling: Advocating for change in clinical trials.

Read Rev. Dr. Cynthia Huling Hummel’s story.

Looking back on a diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer’s and FTD, and tracking the journey in a blog, ‘Dementia Daze.’

Read Laurie Scherrer’s story.

Aspiring to new heights with dementia

This globetrotting couple is navigating Alzheimer’s — while running marathons around the world.

Read Catherine Elizabeth Popp’s story.

Early-onset Alzheimer’s didn’t stop him from cycling 350 miles for fundraising and advocacy

Read Peter Berry’s story.

After his dementia diagnosis, this 71-year-old retired attorney rallied his family to join him in climbing Texas’s tallest peak

Read Don Kent’s story.

 

Share your story

Have you experienced symptoms that left you wondering if they were part of normal aging or something more serious? Did you reach out to a doctor for help shedding light on what was going on?

Tell us your about your journey to diagnosis. We’re looking for stories about how people have sought answers about their cognitive health, managed symptoms, and more.

Share your cognitive impairment or diagnosis experience with us.

We'd love to hear from you.

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