Today's word, Multimodal.
“It’s Multimodal” Dr David Loewenstein of the University of Miami stated, looking at the confusion in my face about a term I know well among transportation planners, he went on to explain, “ It is like the AIDS Cocktail, not one drug is effective but many working together is” My shaking my head in agreement let him continue to explain how music, physical exercise, mental exercise, diet, medications and community can work together to delay the symptoms by five years! This is just a tidbit of the conversation and presentations at the Florida Health Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness & Research Symposium held at Florida Hospital in Orlando and sponsored by The Alzheimer’s Association and the Florida Department of Health this past June 7-8th .
We were panelist with a few caretakers and patients sharing our experiences at the beginning of the event called "Living with Alzheimer’s". We both went up together and I spoke first explaining our story and why we were writing the collaborative cookbook,“My Alzheimer’s Diet”. Kris spoke next, and I was a little worried as she was having trouble finding her words over coffee this morning. She was so articulate, I wanted to take the microphone and say, “honest folks she does have early onset Alzheimer’s”. She shared with the doctors and researchers the emotions she went through with the disease. She then went into the need for better education, relating a story of a woman in one of the online groups who was asking if she should call a doctor as her husband’s legs were turning purple… I heard the room gasp and knew she had touched some hearts and communicated the need.
We are grateful for the Florida Alzheimer’s Association giving us an opportunity to participate in the symposium. We met so many great people working on this issue. From the Florida Surgeon General Celeste Philip to Lauren Koff of the company Mind and Melody, all these people were passionate to help Kris and all the over five million Americans afflicted by this disease. Between sessions at the Mind and Melody table, Lauren held up a musical instrument, a maraca or shaker and explained, “Sometimes we go into a nursing home where the patients cannot talk and seem simply not there. We play the music and place this in their hand. Then they start keeping the rhythm and they smile!” Today’s word is Multimodal…Yes I will take the five years, thank you Alzheimer’s Association and the fantastic researchers who are so passionate to help us all.