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Angela Lunde
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Angela Lunde
Angela Lunde is a dementia education specialist in the education core of Mayo Clinic's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at the Abigail Van Buren Alzheimer's Disease Research Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
Angela Lunde
The transfer of information about dementias, as well as understanding the need for participation in clinical trials, is an essential component of the education core.
Angela is a member of the Alzheimer's Association board of directors and co-chair of the annual Minnesota Dementia Conference. She is a member of the Dementia Behavior Assessment and Response Team (D-BART), a multidisciplinary outreach service assisting professional and family caregivers in understanding and managing difficult behaviors often present in dementia. She facilitates several support groups, including Memory Club, an early-stage education and support series, and more recently, helped to develop and now deliver Healthy Action to Benefit Independence and Thinking (HABIT), a 10-day cognitive rehab and wellness program for people with mild cognitive impairment.
Angela takes a personal interest in understanding the complex changes that take place within relationships and among families when dementia is present. She is particularly interested in providing innovative and accessible ways for people with dementia and their families to receive information and participate in valuable programs that promote well-being.
"Amid a devastating disease, there are tools, therapies, programs and ways to cope, and it is vital that families are connected to these resources," she says.
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Alzheimer's blog
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Feb. 12, 2008
Early-onset Alzheimer's: There is help
By Angela Lunde
Recently, there has been some discussion about early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Having early-onset Alzheimer's disease means that symptoms develop before the age of 65. Of all the people with Alzheimer's disease, only 5 percent to 10 percent develop symptoms before age 65.
Early-onset Alzheimer's has been known to develop between ages 30 and 40, but that's exceedingly rare. It is more common to see someone in their 50s who has the disease. I have had the opportunity to meet many individuals with early-onset Alzheimer's disease and their care partners. Their stories are different than those who have symptoms in their 70, 80 and 90's.
Often persons with early-onset Alzheimer's disease are actively in the work force at the time of their diagnosis, in fact, it is often 'on the job' where clues surface that something is wrong. Those impacted with early Alzheimer's disease and their care partners may experience financial challenges, changes in their relationship, as well as isolation from friends and activities. They may still have children living at home and face an uncertain future.
Yet, for those recently diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease, there is life after a diagnosis! With a diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer's there is now some peace of mind in knowing the cause of the changes in thinking and performance.
There are medications that can slow the progression, information is available from groups such as the Alzheimer's Association (check out Safe Return) and there are support groups across the country for persons with the disease and their care partners.
58 comments posted
February 14, 2008 11:51 a.m.
I agree with most of the others who have posted a comment - the statement that there is life after diagonosis is nonsense. My husband was diagnosed with EOAD at age 58. He is now 65 and needs 24/7 care. He can no longer speak more than 3 words, is totally incontinent, he can no longer bathe himself, shave, dress himself or feed himself. 6 years ago when my husband was disgnosed with EOAD, we were so hopeful that a cure was on the horizon. All hope is now gone. AD is still an incurable, mind robbing disease. I am watching my husband rapidly fade away. The future terrifies me. We are isolated and facing financial ruin.
- susan
February 13, 2008 5:29 p.m.
I'm recently diagnosed with EOAD, and speaking for myself, there is no peace of mind in knowing that. I had no idea anything was wrong, until I got fired from my management job. After a psychologist suspected something was wrong, I had neuropsych testing and found that some areas of my functioning had already fallen to extremely low ranges. I'm going to die in a nursing home, a mindless entity wearing diapers. Still looking for the peace in that.
- Alan
February 13, 2008 7:40 a.m.
The compound resveratrol has shown interesting neuroprotective properties in clinical trials. Drs. Anderson and Setia reported in a January paper that of 121 with memory loss and early Alzheimers symptoms patients given biotivia Transmax, an extract of red wine used by researchers, 94 showed marked improvement in cholesterol levels, reduced inflammation and improved circulation. Resveratrol works by activating the human Sirt 1,2,3 genes much like caloric restriction does. Sirtris pharma is developing a synthetic version of transmax which it intends to have on the market in five years. In another study by Dr. Sinclair of Harvard published in the journal Nature in November transmax was shown to increase the life span of obese mammals by 31%. This is an exciting area of research and could lead to some revolutionary new preventative strategies and safer less invasive treatments for heart disease. I Dr. Sinclair's study of obese mice he found that those fed resveratrol lived 31% longer and
- Dr Sturgis
February 13, 2008 12:39 a.m.
I am a person who has been living with and challenged by probable early onset Alzheimer's for 18 years, starting at the age of 41. Thankfully through the help of our wonderful neueologist, I have achieved a higher quality of life! I have a hereditary form - along with my older sister- our mother and aunt also had it. He has taught us to look "outside the box" with a whole mind and body approach. Along with the medications (which are an "older" type, because I started before the typical AD drugs were available)we us an integrative approach with nutrition, exercise, and supplements. We avoid any MSG, sugar substitutes, toxins, and add in eggs, protein, nuts, fish, fruits and vegtables. And it is working! I have written a book (www.alzheimersaverted.com) and we have formed a national organization, forMemory:Building Hope in Early Onset Alzheimer's and Related Disease (www.forMemory.org) Feel free to contact us. We do this with support of our doctors and researchers. Wi
- Christine Baum VanRyzin, forMemory
February 12, 2008 11:02 p.m.
My wife presented at age 52, 5 years before the 12th doctor gave us the EOAD diagnosis. Help? What's that? The drugs are near useless, friends and relatives have all but vanished, financial challenges have turned into the good old days and still somehow the caregiver and victim must carry on. The only peace of mind is knowing that yesterday is gone and tomorrow will likely be worse than today. I look into my wife's beautiful blue eyes that danced with joy and see the frustration of trying to dress herself, trying speak a three word sentence clearly, trying to read a child's book, or simply feeding herself without making a mess. Her biggest fear? She's afraid that I will get tired doing so much for her. I keep saying that I never give up on her no matter what. I read every article like this hoping for news of a possible breakthrough. It's just more of the same. Tell us about new drugs that the FDA won't take a decade to approve. It's a fatal disease and it's time to stop it.
- Barry
February 12, 2008 9:31 p.m.
My wife has EOAD and the drugs did a lot less for her then the older folks and her progression was very fast. She hasn't been able to talk for over two years and is in excellent health otherwise. started at age 58 and now 65 with no life quality.
- Wayne
February 12, 2008 1:23 p.m.
Most diagnosed with EOAD (now also called Younger Onset Alzheimer’s) have a parent who also had EOAD. They have been living in fear of one day having the diagnosis. The diagnosis is confirmation of their worst fear.
- Roger
February 12, 2008 11:22 a.m.
What is so helpful about that? Life after a diagnosis? What life? What peace of mind? Peace of mind in knowing that you have an incurable disease? The title of your article makes it sound like there are some new findings or something like that. There is no more help for an early onset than if you were diagnosed at a later age. I don't get it.
- Marina
58 comments posted