A baby learns how to eat, feed themselves, walk, and use the bathroom, with each new skill building on the last. With Alzheimer’s disease, that sequence runs in reverse.

“Things are going backwards with Alzheimer’s,” said Faith D. Atai, MD, a geriatric medicine physician at UT Physicians Center for Healthy Aging – Bellaire Station. “Smiling is one of the first things a baby does and an important sign of normal brain development. One of the last things we see in very late-stage Alzheimer’s is they stop smiling.”

Alzheimer’s is a disease in the brain and the most common form of dementia, affecting memory, thinking, and behavior. One of the biggest challenges is telling what’s part of normal aging and what may signal a serious brain disease.

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If you’ve been diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease (AD), you’ve at least begun the process of understanding what that will mean for you and your loved ones, both now and in the future. 

Sharing your diagnosis with friends may feel like a scary point of no return in your Alzheimer’s journey, but it can also help you move forward. Telling trusted friends will make it easier to stay connected and stop feeling as if you’re carrying a secret alone. 

While you can’t control other people’s reactions to your diagnosis, some approaches can make the conversation easier and give you and your friend a chance to process what this means for you and your relationship.

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• Bill Ritter has retired from his regular anchoring duties on ABC 7 New York after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s
• The veteran journalist said on Good Morning America he first noticed memory issues two years ago and initially blamed his demanding work schedule
• Ritter plans to continue working with ABC 7 to advocate for Alzheimer’s awareness and support others affected by the disease

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I was one of the participants in a clinical trial that led to the approval of new Alzheimer’s treatments in 2024.

This treatment improved my memory and mental sharpness, giving me more good years with the people I love: my husband Brent, my six children, 22 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

I’m grateful that my grandchildren get to know me not as an Alzheimer’s patient, but just as a grandmother who is capable of talking to them, teaching recipes and making memories.

That’s why I was saddened to see a new review claiming that the medicines have little benefit. It contradicted the reality that I lived and felt like an attempt to stamp out hope for the thousands of patients receiving Alzheimer’s diagnoses today.

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Former DU chancellor Rebecca Chopp stepped down from the University of Denver’s top post after her diagnosis. Years later, she found out she probably didn’t have the disease to begin with.

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