Enhance outcomes

For Alzheimer’s, prevention is part of the cure. Postponing memory changes for five years will cut the incidence of the disease by 50%. Nearly half of all Alzheimer’s disease cases are attributable to risk factors that can be changed. This is where Lifestyle Empowerment for Alzheimer’s Prevention (LEAP!) comes in.

LEAP! translates the latest Alzheimer’s prevention research into recommendations for everyday life. It centers on keeping your brain active, exercise, healthy eating, getting enough sleep, social connections and managing stress. Thanks to donors who provided support to KU ADC on One Day. One KU. in February 2020, all patients of the Memory Care Clinic receive the LEAP! Book, Brainpower Blueprint: Simple Strategies for Optimal Brain Health.

Dependable research and treatment options rely on diverse participation. To expand education and care throughout the entire community, outreach programs have been developed. Aging with Grace is headed up by postdoctoral fellow Ashley Shaw and has a special focus on Kansas City’s African American community. A bilingual program engaging Latinos is led by KU ADC assistant professor Jaime Perales Puchalt.

KU ADC also intends to add providers to increase the number of patients seen and make sure patients can get an appointment quickly. Growing support services for caregivers is also part of the plan, so they can help loved ones without neglecting their own well-being.

Extend access to care

Where a patient lives shouldn’t determine the care they receive. KU ADC is increasing specialized memory care capabilities across Kansas through the Cognitive Care Network. It strives to increase early diagnosis of dementia and supply more resources to families so crises can be prevented. The network provides primary care physicians with education and training to integrate cognitive screening, diagnosis and treatment approaches into their practice.

KU alumni Linda and Ray Carson have personal experience caring for a family member with dementia and know the challenges it can bring. Through their philanthropy, they decided to support the Cognitive Care Network and help other families. “For Alzheimer’s patients and their families, we want to make this journey the best it can be,” Linda said. “With the Cognitive Care Network reaching out to rural Kansas, there’s a place to go for information and treatment, and it’s all in the best interest of the patient and their families. The work of KU ADC brings hope.”

Pioneer Innovation

KU ADC leads the country in scientific achievements in their focus areas: lifestyle and prevention and the impact of metabolism on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. They are aspiring to build on progress already made, grow their research enterprise and increase clinical trials and grant funding. Adding experienced, creative scientists and physician-scientists to their faculty and training future brain health leaders will accelerate their success.

KU ADC is poised to address one of the largest unmet medical needs of the current generation. They are thinking beyond today’s science and looking ahead. They aim to deliver an integrated, comprehensive solution to disease prevention, patient care, caregiver support and research. The result will be innovative strategies to prevent and treat this disease and eventually end it altogether. It’s no longer a question of if Alzheimer’s disease will be cured, but when.

“Finding a cure for Alzheimer’s disease requires us to take a new approach,” Swerdlow said. “We can’t just remove what’s not working in the brain. We actually have to repair it.”