Alzheimers

Our special series on Alzheimer's disease.

A sugar maple tree in western Massachusetts. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Nature may protect against Alzheimer’s and Parkinson's, study finds

A sweeping review of Medicare records expands on research that shows spending time in nature may reduce the risk of a first hospitalization for Alzheimer’s, dementia and Parkinson's. The findings...

The Upside Of Alzheimer's?

This week Modern Love: The Podcast explores the story of one family whose lives were changed -- for the better -- by the disease.

'Sundowning': Why Hospital Staffs Dread Nightfall, And How To Help Seniors Avoid It

As the sun sets, many elderly patients can change drastically: They can become extremely confused, agitated, not know where they are, and even hallucinate.

State-Funded Lab At Harvard Medical Aims To Reinvent Drug Discovery

Scientists at the Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology aim to reinvent the drug development process as they work to find treatments for diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer's disease.

Dementia As A Global Public Health 'Tidal Wave'

According to the WHO: Dementia currently affects more than 47 million people worldwide, with more than 75 million people estimated to be living with dementia by 2030. The number is...

A Boxer's Brain And The Evolution Of Sports-Related Head Injuries

Although most people associate CTE with professional football players, McKee has found it in the brains of soccer, hockey, rugby, and baseball players as well.

Summertime Blues: Pesticide-Laden Strawberries And Your Health

Over the years, researchers have documented the negative effects of pesticide exposure on human health. Recently, though, there's been increased attention on the links between pesticides and neurodegenerative diseases, notably...

Local Coverage

May 23, 2014

Facing The Inevitable: From Lost Keys To Dementia

Trying to tackle the inevitable: age-related memory decline and dementia.

Local Coverage

May 6, 2014

The Grandma Effect: A Little Caregiving Sharpens Brain, A Lot Dulls It

Taking care of grandkids one day a week helps keep grandmothers mentally sharp, according to a study from the Women's Healthy Aging Project in Australia; but five-day-a-week caregiving may be...

Local Coverage

Apr 8, 2014

Bernice Osborne Pollard and her 74-year-old mother, Mary Osborne, who is the late stages of Alzheimer's disease (Deb Becker/WBUR)

Preparing For An Alzheimer's 'Tsunami'

We follow up on our recent Alzheimer's series by examining the expected dramatic increase in the number of patient cases, and what preparation and planning is being done.

Local Coverage

07:51Nov 14, 2011

Your Thoughts On Alzheimer's Disease

Your thoughts on our Alzheimer's series, "Fade To Darkness."

Local Coverage

04:44Oct 28, 2011

Fade To Darkness: The Age Of Alzheimer's

The Mental And Physical Toll Of Alzheimer's Care

Most of the 5.5 million Americans with Alzheimer's disease are cared for at home and almost 15 million Americans provide this unpaid care. The intense, round-the-clock care takes an economic,...

Local Coverage

05:59Oct 21, 2011

Tweeting Alzheimer's: Sharing Her Mother's Voice

There aren't a lot of people like @maryagneskelley on Twitter. In the past few weeks, she has sent out tweets ranging from: "I love you!!!! Where am I?" to "Hallucinating~*."...

Local Coverage

07:08Oct 21, 2011

Bill Would Create Mass. Office For Alzheimer's Care

A bill pending in the Legislature would create a new state office to help coordinate, and direct people to, Alzheimer’s resources.

Local Coverage

04:42Oct 20, 2011

Video: Alzheimer’s Panel Discussion

In conjunction with our special week-long series, WBUR hosted an expert panel to discuss the future of Alzheimer’s funding, research and care.

Local Coverage

Oct 20, 2011

Rep. Ed Markey recalls summers on Revere Beach, where his mother would take him and his brothers, before she developed Alzheimer's. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Alzheimer's Funding Lags Behind Other Diseases

Alzheimer’s kills more Americans each year than breast and prostate cancers combined. Yet the government spends far more research money on diseases like cancer and AIDS than it does on...

Local Coverage

09:11Oct 20, 2011

Study: Late-Stage Dementia Patients 'Slammed Around Health Care System'

A new study finds that dementia patients are often transferred between nursing homes and hospitals in the last days of their lives because of infections. Such hospitalizations are extremely difficult...

Local Coverage

04:01Oct 19, 2011

Testing For Alzheimer's: A Wrenching But Crucial Decision

Scientists can now predict with reasonable certainty who is likely to get Alzheimer’s. But that brings a difficult decision: should we be tested when there is currently no effective treatment?...

Local Coverage

07:02Oct 19, 2011

Author Finds Silver Lining In Mother's Alzheimer's

"In a bizarre way [I'm] rather grateful for the disease," said Cape Cod author Kate Whouley. "It ended up healing our relationship."

Local Coverage

04:40Oct 18, 2011

Devora Corman, 77, is an Alzheimer’s patient who is currently testing an anti-amyloid drug. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Alzheimer's Research Seeks Earlier Detection

There is currently nothing on the market that halts or even slows down the progression of Alzheimer’s in patients. In our second series report, we look at the disease's ongoing...

Local Coverage

08:19Oct 18, 2011

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Nature may protect against Alzheimer’s and Parkinson's, study finds

The Upside Of Alzheimer's?

'Sundowning': Why Hospital Staffs Dread Nightfall, And How To Help Seniors Avoid It

State-Funded Lab At Harvard Medical Aims To Reinvent Drug Discovery

Dementia As A Global Public Health 'Tidal Wave'

A Boxer's Brain And The Evolution Of Sports-Related Head Injuries

Summertime Blues: Pesticide-Laden Strawberries And Your Health

Facing The Inevitable: From Lost Keys To Dementia

The Grandma Effect: A Little Caregiving Sharpens Brain, A Lot Dulls It

Preparing For An Alzheimer's 'Tsunami'

Your Thoughts On Alzheimer's Disease

The Mental And Physical Toll Of Alzheimer's Care

Tweeting Alzheimer's: Sharing Her Mother's Voice

Bill Would Create Mass. Office For Alzheimer's Care

Video: Alzheimer’s Panel Discussion

Alzheimer's Funding Lags Behind Other Diseases

Study: Late-Stage Dementia Patients 'Slammed Around Health Care System'

Testing For Alzheimer's: A Wrenching But Crucial Decision

Author Finds Silver Lining In Mother's Alzheimer's

Alzheimer's Research Seeks Earlier Detection