Journalist and activist Maria Shriver discusses her most recent research on Alzheimer’s illness.
Alzheimer’s disease took Shriver’s father’s life in 2011. Given that women account for two-thirds of Alzheimer’s patients, Shriver is advocating for further study on gender and the illness.
When journalist Maria Shriver discovered that her father had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2003, she tackled the news as a reporter, seeking to understand the illness and determine the best ways to write on it.
The fact that more women than males are affected by Alzheimer’s disease was not included in the information she was given about the illness at the time. In actuality, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, women make up about two thirds of those with the disease. Research on the role of gender and sex in Alzheimer’s disease is being funded by both the Alzheimer’s Association and Shriver.
At Cleveland Clinic, Shriver established the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement (WAM), the first group in the world focused solely on women with Alzheimer’s disease.
In addition to providing $5.35 million for 48 projects at 17 prestigious schools, Cleveland Clinic’s WAM has enabled its grantees to get an additional $83 million in grants from foundations and governments since 2016. Those studying the significance of a woman’s distinct biology, genetics, and lifestyle in addressing the disproportionate burden of Alzheimer’s disease on women are among the recipients of the 2024 WAM Research Award.
In 2020, WAM and the Cleveland Clinic collaborated to establish the world’s first women-only Alzheimer’s disease preventive center. Since prevention was not a topic of conversation when Shriver first became active in raising awareness of Alzheimer’s disease, she is quite enthusiastic about the collaboration. The majority of physicians would really tell you that there isn’t one. The belief that [Alzheimer’s] was a normal aspect of aging is false. Everyone experiences it, yet it doesn’t. It’s incorrect that there is nothing you can do, Shriver said. She started paying attention to physicians and scientists who advocated for preventive. According to Jessica Caldwell, PhD, director of Cleveland Clinic’s Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement Prevention & Research Center, maintaining a healthy lifestyle throughout life can help the brain stay healthy and lower the risk of dementia.
According to Maria Shriver, “there are no guarantees, but we can make big changes in our ability to age well with exercise, healthy foods, moderation in alcohol, getting enough sleep, and avoiding health problems like diabetes and high blood pressure.”
Despite the fact that her father passed away from Alzheimer’s, she has the ability to manage her health as best she can. According to Shriver, “Adopt prevention lifestyle–doesn’t mean they’re not going to get it, but it does put them in a better position” is advice for those who worry that they might get Alzheimer’s because a parent did.