Talking about Alzheimer’s

Two weeks ago, Lois and I answered questions following a screening of the documentary film A Tattoo On My Brain at the Alzheimer’s Association McGinty Conference in Portland, Oregon. The audience consisted of about 400 people who are either living with dementia themselves or are caring for a loved one with dementia.   I think this was the largest group I have ever addressed. At the end of the Q and A session, the audience unexpectedly gave us a standing ovation. I think this was directed at the film, not our brief discussion of Alzheimer’s issues, but it was a humbling experience just the same. Following the discussion, I made a trip to the men’s restroom where I encountered four or five strangers who had just watched our presentation and who all had questions to ask. I was able to check off two lifetime firsts: getting a standing ovation, check, and leading a discussion of Alzheimer’s disease in a public restroom, check.

A few days later, Lois and I were interviewed by Christine Pitawanich, co-anchor of the evening news broadcast on local Portland TV station KGW. Her 2-minute, 19-second segment hits some of the highlights of the documentary film and my two books. For those looking for more information, I would urge you to read my first book, A Tattoo on my Brain: A Neurologist’s Personal Battle against Alzheimer’s Disease. If you want still more, read Dispatches from the Land of Alzheimer’s, a collection of essays many of which started out as posts on this blog.